Sources of Stress Practice Flashcards

Stress originates from two primary categories of stimuli:
- Psychosocial: Stress resulting from the interaction between social factors and individual thought or behavior.
- Bioecological: Stimuli from the environment that trigger a stress response via innate biological mechanisms.

Definition of Adaptation: The body's tendency to restore homeostasis (internal stability). It involves the adjustment to change in one's environment or circumstances.
The Relationship Between Change and Adaptation: As the frequency or magnitude of change increases, the physiological and psychological need to adapt increases proportionally.
Adaptation as a Key Stress Factor: Adaptation is considered the central element of stress. While all change requires adjustment, there is a consensus that negative events are typically more harmful because they are disruptive for longer periods and often initiate a negative chain of events.
Predictor of Health Outcomes: Life events requiring significant adaptation are remarkable predictors of health outcomes:
- Teenagers: High adaptation demands are linked to increased rates of suicide.
- Athletes: Significant life changes are correlated with a higher frequency of physical injury.

Core Definition: Frustration occurs when an individual is blocked from performing a desired action or achieving a specific goal.
Emotional Responses to Frustration: Typical reactions include:
- Anger
- Aggression
- Agitation
Factors Contributing to Frustration:
- Overcrowding: Common in large cities and heavy traffic. It involves issues regarding personal space and the perception of being crowded. Research indicates a direct link between the feeling of being crowded and the release of stress-related hormones.
- Discrimination: Described as the most destructive form of frustration. It involves unfavorable attitudes based on race, gender, religion, or social status. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), those who experience discrimination are statistically more likely to exhibit health problems.
- Socioeconomic Factors: Economic hardships such as inflation, unemployment, recession, depression, and excessive taxation. Periods of economic hardship correlate with increases in crime, suicide, and marital or family strain. Chronic financial hardship leads to feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness.
- Bureaucracy: The complexities and "red tape" involved in dealing with or working within large organizations. Bureaucracy is inherently frustrating because it discourages individual initiative, stifles creativity, reduces motivation, and decreases overall job satisfaction.

Definition of Overload: A state where the level of stimulation exceeds an individual's capacity to process it.
Four Major Factors Contributing to Overload:
- Time pressures
- Excessive responsibilities
- Lack of support
- Excessive expectations from oneself or from others
Specific Types of Overload:
- Urban Overload: The accumulation of stressors found in city settings, such as noise, mass media, traffic, large crowds, and homelessness. This is compounded by a lack of stress-relief resources in urban areas (e.g., limited quiet places, green spaces, bike paths, or running tracks).
- Occupational Overload: Stressors related specifically to the workplace.
- Academic Overload: Stressors related to education and school demands.
- Domestic Overload: Stressors related to home life and household management.

Definition: A psychophysiological stress response caused specifically by understimulation.
Boredom: Resulting from monotonous, repetitive, or non-challenging tasks. There is a documented link between mundane jobs and physical symptoms like backaches and headaches. In teenagers, boredom is linked to deviant behavior.
Loneliness: A state of emotional deprivation.
- Approximately $20\%$ of teenagers are affected by loneliness, which leads to decreased self-esteem and increased rates of drug use and suicide.
- Lynch (1977) Study: Research by Lynch demonstrated that death rates are higher among single, widowed, and divorced individuals across all races, cultures, and genders, linking these mortality rates to loneliness.

Definition: Environmental stimuli that produce a stress response through innate biological mechanisms rather than psychological interpretation alone.
Primary Bioecological Factors:
- Nutrition
- Noise
- Biological rhythms

Mechanisms of Stress Induction: Noise causes stress by initiating physiological reactions, being inherently annoying/displeasing, and disrupting ongoing activities.
Physiological Impacts:
- Acute exposure to high frequencies can decrease blood circulation.
- Repeated exposure can lead to a permanent increase in blood pressure.
- Industrial workers exposed to constant noise show higher levels of stress hormones.
Decibel ( $dB$ ) Thresholds for the Stress Response: The stress response generally begins at an intensity of $85\,dB$ . Examples include:
- Loud shouting: $85\,dB$
- Heavy traffic: $85\,dB$
- Lawn mower: $85\,dB$
- Trucks: $100\,dB$
- Automobile horn: $110\,dB$
- Rock concert: $120\,dB$
- Jet takeoff: $140\,dB$

Stress can be induced when natural biological cycles are disrupted or tax the system. These rhythms include:
- Circadian Rhythms: Cycles lasting approximately $24$ hours.
- Ultradian Rhythms: Cycles occurring in periods less than a full day (more frequent than once a day).
- Infradian Rhythms: Cycles occurring in periods greater than a day (less frequent than once a day).