Stress and Cognitive Appraisal

Stress and Cognitive Appraisal

Introduction to Stress

• Stress is a response to challenging events, whether physical, emotional, cognitive, or behavioral.
• It involves making decisions and overcoming challenges in all aspects of life.
• Our behavior and mental state are affected by the behavior of others and our perception of our surroundings.

Cognitive Appraisal of Stress

• Cognitive appraisal is the subjective evaluation of a situation that induces stress.
• It consists of two stages:
  • Primary Appraisal: Initial evaluation of the environment and associated threat.
    • Can be identified as irrelevant, benign/positive, or stressful.
  • Secondary Appraisal: Evaluating whether the organism can cope with the stress.
    • Involves evaluating:
      • Harm/damage caused by the event.
      • Threat or potential for future damage.
      • Challenge or the potential to overcome and benefit from the event.
• Individuals with the perceived ability to cope experience less stress.
• Appraisal and stress levels are personal, influenced by individual skills, abilities, and coping mechanisms.
• Some situations require ongoing monitoring through constant reappraisal.

Types of Stressors

• A stressor is a biological element, external condition, or event that leads to a stress response.
• Severity ranges from minimal hassles to catastrophic scenarios.
• Common Stressors:
  • Environmental (temperature, sounds, weather).
  • Daily events (running late, losing items).
  • Workplace/academic (assignments, time management).
  • Social expectations (demands from society, family, friends).
  • Chemical/Biological (diet, alcohol, drugs, viruses, allergies, medications, medical conditions).

Distress vs. Eustress

• Stressors are classified as:
  • Distress: Stressor perceived as unpleasant (e.g., a threat).
  • Eustress: Result of a positively perceived stressor (e.g., a challenge).
• Eustress can include life events such as graduating from college, achieving a high score on the MCAT, getting married, or buying a house.
• Any event requiring change or adaptation leads to stress.
• Stress level can be measured in life changing units using the Social Readjustment Rating Scale.

Psychological Stressors

• Include pressure, control, predictability, frustration, and conflict.
  • Pressure: Expectations or demands from external sources; produces urgency.
  • Control: The ability to control one's surroundings reduces stress; lack of control increases stress.
  • Predictability: Unpredictable situations lead to higher stress levels.
  • Frustration: Occurs when attaining a goal is prevented; can be external or internal.
  • Conflict: Arises from the need to make a choice.
    • Approach-approach: Choosing between two desirable options.
    • Avoidance-avoidance: Choosing between two negative options.
    • Approach-avoidance: One choice with both positive and negative elements.
      • Example: Job promotion - more money/status (positive) vs. increased responsibility/longer hours (negative).

Physiological Response to Stressors

• The body initially responds via the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).
  • Increases heart rate and reduces digestion.
• General Adaptation Syndrome (Hans Selye):
  • Alarm: Initial reaction; sympathetic nervous system activation.
    • Hypothalamus stimulates pituitary to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
    • $ACTH$ stimulates adrenal glands to produce cortisol (maintains blood sugar).
    • Hypothalamus activates adrenal medulla to secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine (activates sympathetic nervous system).
  • Resistance: Continuous hormone release keeps the sympathetic nervous system engaged.
  • Exhaustion: The body can no longer maintain an elevated response.
    • Increased susceptibility to illness, ulcers, high blood pressure.
    • Organ systems deteriorate, leading to heart disease.
    • In extreme cases, death can result.

Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Stress

• Emotional Level:
  • Irritability, moodiness, tension, fear, helplessness.
  • Difficulties with concentration and memory.
• Behavioral Level:
  • Withdrawing from others, difficulties at work/school, substance use, aggression, suicide.
• Chronic stress can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.

Coping and Stress Management

• Problem-focused strategies: Overcoming the stressor.
  • Seeking social support, confronting the issue, creating a problem-solving plan.
• Emotion-focused strategies: Changing one's feelings about the stressor.
  • Taking responsibility, self-control, distancing, wishful thinking, positive reappraisal.
• Coping strategies can be adaptive (healthy) or maladaptive (detrimental).
  • Adaptive: Seeking help from loved ones.
  • Maladaptive: Turning to drugs or alcohol.

Stress Management Techniques

• Exercise: Improves health, well-being, and mood.
  • Releases endorphins (feel-good neurotransmitters).
• Relaxation techniques: Meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation.
• Spiritual practice: Helps to manage stress.

Conclusion

• Motivation is the mechanism used to meet our needs and act toward goals.
• Emotion involves physiological, cognitive, and behavioral elements.
• Stress appraisal identifies and allows the body to respond to stressors.
• The physical and mental response to stress can be severe, but management and coping mechanisms can reduce stress.