Stress, Health, and Coping – Key Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, theories, and terms from Chapter 13, “Stress, Health, and Coping,” 10th Edition by Hockenbury & Nolan.

Stress

A negative emotional state produced when events are perceived as exceeding one’s resources or ability to cope.

Cognitive Appraisal Model of Stress

Richard Lazarus’s view that stress depends on how an individual evaluates (appraises) events and available coping resources.

Health Psychology

Branch of psychology that studies how biological, behavioral, and social factors influence health, illness, and health-related behaviors.

Biopsychosocial Model

Perspective that physical health and illness result from the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Stressor

Any event or situation perceived as harmful, threatening, or challenging.

Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

Holmes & Rahe’s checklist that quantifies life changes to estimate overall stress load.

Life Events Approach

View that any major change—positive or negative—requiring adjustment generates significant stress.

Traumatic Event

Negative, severe occurrence far beyond normal expectations that can lead to psychological disorders such as PTSD.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to intense or repeated trauma.

Resilience

Capacity to adapt well and recover after moderate levels of adversity.

Daily Hassles

Everyday minor annoyances that can accumulate and be a major source of stress.

Burnout

Exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of inadequacy caused by chronic work stress.

Job Crafting

Proactively altering job demands or personal resources to improve fit and reduce burnout.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

A person’s economic and social position; lower SES is linked to more stressors and poorer health.

Microaggressions

Subtle, often unintentional, discriminatory comments or behaviors that contribute to chronic stress.

Acculturative Stress

Stress experienced while adapting to a new culture.

Integration (Acculturation)

Maintaining original identity while seeking positive relations with the new culture; lowest stress pattern.

Assimilation (Acculturation)

Abandoning original culture to identify with the new one; produces moderate stress.

Separation (Acculturation)

Maintaining original culture while avoiding the new culture; produces high stress.

Marginalization (Acculturation)

Losing connection to both original and new culture; greatest stress.

Fight-or-Flight Response

Walter Cannon’s term for the rapid physiological changes that prepare the body to confront or flee danger.

Catecholamines

Adrenal medulla hormones (adrenaline, noradrenaline) that trigger rapid arousal in the fight-or-flight response.

Corticosteroids

Hormones released by the adrenal cortex that help respond to prolonged stressors and suppress immune function.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye’s three-stage reaction to prolonged stress: alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

Alarm Stage

First GAS phase; intense arousal and mobilization of resources via catecholamines.

Resistance Stage

Second GAS phase; body actively resists or adjusts to the persistent stressor.

Exhaustion Stage

Final GAS phase; energy is depleted, leading to illness or death if stress continues.

Telomeres

Protective DNA sequences at chromosome ends that shorten with cell division and chronic stress.

Immune System

Body’s defense network of cells, organs, and chemicals that fight pathogens.

Lymphocytes

Specialized white blood cells that identify and destroy bacteria, viruses, and other invaders.

Psychoneuroimmunology

Field studying interactions among psychological processes, the nervous system, and the immune system.

Placebo Effect

Real physiological or psychological improvement following an inert treatment due to expectations and conditioning.

Personal Control

Belief that one can influence events; realistic control lowers stress responses.

Optimistic Explanatory Style

Attributing failures to external, unstable, specific factors; linked to better health and immunity.

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Attributing failures to internal, stable, global factors; linked to poorer health outcomes.

Chronic Negative Emotions

Persistent feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, or hostility that raise disease risk.

Type A Behavior Pattern

Time urgency, competitiveness, and hostility associated with higher heart-disease risk.

Type B Behavior Pattern

Relaxed, easygoing style not linked to elevated heart-disease risk.

Social Support

Resources provided by others—emotional, instrumental, informational—that help cope with stress.

Stress Contagion Effect

Phenomenon where women become distressed over negative events affecting their friends or relatives.

Problem-Focused Coping

Efforts aimed at managing or changing the stressor itself.

Planful Problem Solving

Rational analysis of a stressor and deliberate action to resolve it.

Confrontational Coping

Direct, occasionally aggressive tactics to address a stressor.

Emotion-Focused Coping

Efforts to regulate emotional impact when the stressor seems uncontrollable.

Escape–Avoidance

Emotion-focused strategy involving distraction or wishful thinking to avoid the stressor.

Positive Reappraisal

Emotion-focused strategy of construing a stressor in personally meaningful, growth-oriented terms.

Positive Religious Coping

Seeking spiritual support, benevolent religious reappraisal, or collaborative problem solving with a higher power.

Negative Religious Coping

Anger at or distancing from a deity; linked to poorer adjustment.

Adaptive Coping

Realistic, flexible responses that reduce distress and promote well-being.

Maladaptive Coping

Thoughts or behaviors that intensify or prolong distress or create new problems.

Individualistic Cultures

Societies valuing personal autonomy; favor problem-focused coping and less social support seeking.

Collectivistic Cultures

Societies emphasizing group harmony; more likely to use emotion-focused coping and seek communal help.

Job Overload

Having too many work demands, a key cause of burnout.

Sense of Community (Workplace)

Supportive, collegial environment that reduces burnout risk.

Acculturative Daily Hassles

Minor, recurring stressors faced by immigrants or minorities in adapting to a dominant culture.

Diverse Social Network

Varied, numerous social ties linked to better immunity and overall health.

Subjective Socioeconomic Status

Personal perception of one’s social standing; lower subjective status predicts greater illness risk.

Stimulants (Stress Management)

Substances like caffeine and nicotine that heighten arousal; minimizing their use reduces stress.