Stress and Health Ch. 11
Health Psychology- field of study devoted to understanding the relationship between physical activities, psychological traits, and social relationships, and overall health and rates of illness
Stress- physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to events that are appraised as threatening or challenging
Stressors- events that cause a stress reaction
Distress- the effect of unpleasant and undesirable stressors
Eustress- the effect of positive events, or the optimal amount of stress that people need to promote health and wellbeing
Cognitive Factors of Stress
Cognitive appraisal approach- how people think about a stressor determines the degree of stress response
Primary appraisal- 1st step involves 1. Estimating stressor severity and 2. Classifying it as either a threat or challenge
Secondary appraisal- 2nd step involves estimating a person’s coping resources available
Causes of Stress
Catastrophe- unpredictable, large-scale event evokes overwhelming threat and great need to adapt
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- exposure to catastrophe, provoking anxiety, nightmares, poor sleep, reliving the event, concentration problems, symptoms (n) is greater than 1 month
Major life events- requires significant adjustment
Social readjustment rating scale (SRRS)- assessment that measures the amount of stress in a person’s life resulting from major life stressors over one year (Figure 11.1)
College undergraduate stress scale- same but for college students
Hassles- daily annoyances in everyday life
-Lazarus & Folkman 1984
-hassles scale (0-3)
-”misplacing or losing things” and “troublesome neighbors”
-hassles are sometimes developed on a person’s developmental stage (pg. 419)
Daily Hassles
Research results- the perceived severity of daily hassles is a better predictor of headaches versus scores on a life events scale
-Daily hassles more damaging to our health versus major life stressors
Pressure- psychological experience produced by external urgent demands or expectations for a particular behavior
Uncontrollability- control person has over a particular event or situation; the less control one has, the greater the stress
Frustration- psychological experience produced by the blocking of a desired goal or need
Frustration-aggression hypothesis (Berkowitz)-
Frustration creates an internal readiness to aggress
Aggression will not follow frustration unless certain cues are present
Frustration does not always lead to aggression
Possible reaction to Frustration:
Aggression- actions meant to harm or destroy
Displaced aggression- expressing frustration towards less threatening or more available target; aka displacement
Escape or withdrawal- leaving the presence of a stressor, literally by psychological withdrawal into fantasy, drug abuse, or apathy
Daily Hassles: Conflicts
Approach-approach- person must choose between two desirable goals
Avoidance-avoidance- person must choose between two undesirable goals
Approach-avoidance- person must choose or not choose a goal that has both positive and negative aspects
Double approach-avoidance- person must decide between two goals, each possessing both positive and negative aspects
Multiple approach-avoidance- person must decide between more than
Bodily Reactions to Stress
Autonomic nervous system:
Sympathetic- energy expenditure; responds to stressful events
Parasympathetic system- energy storage; restores body to normal functioning
General adaptation syndrome (GAS) (Selye)
-three stages of body’s physiological reaction to stress:
Alarm- initial response
Resistance- energy reserves being depleted
Exhaustion- weakened immune system; development of illnesses
Stress and the Immune System
General adaptation syndrome (GAS)- the three stages of the body’s physiological reaction to stress, including alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
Immune system- body’s defense against diseases, infection, injuries
Psychoneuroimmunology- the study of effects of psychological factors such as stress, emotions, thoughts, and behavior on the immune system
Research results: stress compromises the immune system leaving person vulnerable to illnesses
Coronary heart disease (CHD)- the build up of a waxy substance called plaque in the arteries of the heart
Type 2 diabetes- disease typically occurring in middle adulthood when the body either becomes resistant to the effects of insulin or can no longer secrete enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels
Natural killer (NK)- immune-system cell responsible for suppressing viruses and destroying tumor cells
Health psychology- area of psychology focusing on how physical activities, psychological traits, stress reactions, and social relationships affect overall health and rate of illnesses
Primary appraisal- the first step in assessing stress, which involves estimating the severity of a stressor and classifying it as either a threat or challenge
Secondary appraisal- the second step in assessing a stressor, which involves estimating the resources available to the person for coping with the threat
Type A personality- ambitious, time conscious, extremely hardworking, and tends to have high levels of hostility and anger as well as being easily annoyed
Type B personality- relaxed and laid-back, less driven and competitive, slow to anger
Type C personality- pleasant but repressed, tends to internalize anger and anxiety, finds expressing emotions difficult
Type D personality- “distressed” experiences negative emotions and tends not to share these emotions in social situations out of fear of rejection or disapproval
Hardy personality- a person who seems to strive on stress but lacks the anger and hostility of the Type A personality
Optimists- people who expect positive outcomes
Burnout- negative changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior as a result of prolonged stress or frustration, leading to feelings of exhaustion
Acculturative stress- stress resulting from the need to change and adapt a person’s ways to the majority culture
Homeopathy- the treatment of disease by inducting minute amounts of substances that would cause disease in larger doses
Ways to Deal with Stress
Coping strategies- actions taken to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize stress
Problem-focused coping- elimination or reducing impact of the stress source through direct actions
Emotion-focused coping- reducing impact of a stressor by changing emotional reactions
Defense Mechanisms
Psychological defense mechanisms- unconscious distortions of reality that reduce stress and anxiety
Denial- person refuses to acknowledge or recognize a threatening situation
Repression- threatening or unacceptable event completely eliminated from conscious awareness
Rationalization- person invents acceptable excuses for unacceptable behavior
Displacement- redirecting feelings from threatening to less threatening target
Regression- person falls back on childlike patterns of responding in reaction to stress
Meditation and Coping
Meditation: mental exercises to refocus attention; trancelike consciousness
Concentrative meditation: focusing mind on repetitive or unchanging stimulus to clear mind/relax
Mindfulness meditation: the person purposefully pays attention to the present, without judgment or evaluation
Social-support system- the network of family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others who can offer support, comfort, and aid to a person in need
Factors Promoting Wellness
Exercise
Social activities
Getting enough sleep
Eating healthy
Having fun
Managing time
Practicing good coping skills
Religion
Health Psychology- field of study devoted to understanding the relationship between physical activities, psychological traits, and social relationships, and overall health and rates of illness
Stress- physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to events that are appraised as threatening or challenging
Stressors- events that cause a stress reaction
Distress- the effect of unpleasant and undesirable stressors
Eustress- the effect of positive events, or the optimal amount of stress that people need to promote health and wellbeing
Cognitive Factors of Stress
Cognitive appraisal approach- how people think about a stressor determines the degree of stress response
Primary appraisal- 1st step involves 1. Estimating stressor severity and 2. Classifying it as either a threat or challenge
Secondary appraisal- 2nd step involves estimating a person’s coping resources available
Causes of Stress
Catastrophe- unpredictable, large-scale event evokes overwhelming threat and great need to adapt
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- exposure to catastrophe, provoking anxiety, nightmares, poor sleep, reliving the event, concentration problems, symptoms (n) is greater than 1 month
Major life events- requires significant adjustment
Social readjustment rating scale (SRRS)- assessment that measures the amount of stress in a person’s life resulting from major life stressors over one year (Figure 11.1)
College undergraduate stress scale- same but for college students
Hassles- daily annoyances in everyday life
-Lazarus & Folkman 1984
-hassles scale (0-3)
-”misplacing or losing things” and “troublesome neighbors”
-hassles are sometimes developed on a person’s developmental stage (pg. 419)
Daily Hassles
Research results- the perceived severity of daily hassles is a better predictor of headaches versus scores on a life events scale
-Daily hassles more damaging to our health versus major life stressors
Pressure- psychological experience produced by external urgent demands or expectations for a particular behavior
Uncontrollability- control person has over a particular event or situation; the less control one has, the greater the stress
Frustration- psychological experience produced by the blocking of a desired goal or need
Frustration-aggression hypothesis (Berkowitz)-
Frustration creates an internal readiness to aggress
Aggression will not follow frustration unless certain cues are present
Frustration does not always lead to aggression
Possible reaction to Frustration:
Aggression- actions meant to harm or destroy
Displaced aggression- expressing frustration towards less threatening or more available target; aka displacement
Escape or withdrawal- leaving the presence of a stressor, literally by psychological withdrawal into fantasy, drug abuse, or apathy
Daily Hassles: Conflicts
Approach-approach- person must choose between two desirable goals
Avoidance-avoidance- person must choose between two undesirable goals
Approach-avoidance- person must choose or not choose a goal that has both positive and negative aspects
Double approach-avoidance- person must decide between two goals, each possessing both positive and negative aspects
Multiple approach-avoidance- person must decide between more than
Bodily Reactions to Stress
Autonomic nervous system:
Sympathetic- energy expenditure; responds to stressful events
Parasympathetic system- energy storage; restores body to normal functioning
General adaptation syndrome (GAS) (Selye)
-three stages of body’s physiological reaction to stress:
Alarm- initial response
Resistance- energy reserves being depleted
Exhaustion- weakened immune system; development of illnesses
Stress and the Immune System
General adaptation syndrome (GAS)- the three stages of the body’s physiological reaction to stress, including alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
Immune system- body’s defense against diseases, infection, injuries
Psychoneuroimmunology- the study of effects of psychological factors such as stress, emotions, thoughts, and behavior on the immune system
Research results: stress compromises the immune system leaving person vulnerable to illnesses
Coronary heart disease (CHD)- the build up of a waxy substance called plaque in the arteries of the heart
Type 2 diabetes- disease typically occurring in middle adulthood when the body either becomes resistant to the effects of insulin or can no longer secrete enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels
Natural killer (NK)- immune-system cell responsible for suppressing viruses and destroying tumor cells
Health psychology- area of psychology focusing on how physical activities, psychological traits, stress reactions, and social relationships affect overall health and rate of illnesses
Primary appraisal- the first step in assessing stress, which involves estimating the severity of a stressor and classifying it as either a threat or challenge
Secondary appraisal- the second step in assessing a stressor, which involves estimating the resources available to the person for coping with the threat
Type A personality- ambitious, time conscious, extremely hardworking, and tends to have high levels of hostility and anger as well as being easily annoyed
Type B personality- relaxed and laid-back, less driven and competitive, slow to anger
Type C personality- pleasant but repressed, tends to internalize anger and anxiety, finds expressing emotions difficult
Type D personality- “distressed” experiences negative emotions and tends not to share these emotions in social situations out of fear of rejection or disapproval
Hardy personality- a person who seems to strive on stress but lacks the anger and hostility of the Type A personality
Optimists- people who expect positive outcomes
Burnout- negative changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior as a result of prolonged stress or frustration, leading to feelings of exhaustion
Acculturative stress- stress resulting from the need to change and adapt a person’s ways to the majority culture
Homeopathy- the treatment of disease by inducting minute amounts of substances that would cause disease in larger doses
Ways to Deal with Stress
Coping strategies- actions taken to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize stress
Problem-focused coping- elimination or reducing impact of the stress source through direct actions
Emotion-focused coping- reducing impact of a stressor by changing emotional reactions
Defense Mechanisms
Psychological defense mechanisms- unconscious distortions of reality that reduce stress and anxiety
Denial- person refuses to acknowledge or recognize a threatening situation
Repression- threatening or unacceptable event completely eliminated from conscious awareness
Rationalization- person invents acceptable excuses for unacceptable behavior
Displacement- redirecting feelings from threatening to less threatening target
Regression- person falls back on childlike patterns of responding in reaction to stress
Meditation and Coping
Meditation: mental exercises to refocus attention; trancelike consciousness
Concentrative meditation: focusing mind on repetitive or unchanging stimulus to clear mind/relax
Mindfulness meditation: the person purposefully pays attention to the present, without judgment or evaluation
Social-support system- the network of family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others who can offer support, comfort, and aid to a person in need
Factors Promoting Wellness
Exercise
Social activities
Getting enough sleep
Eating healthy
Having fun
Managing time
Practicing good coping skills
Religion