Chapter 14: Health Psychology (5B) Flashcards
What is autonomic reactivity and stress?
Differences in intensity of autonomic nervous system (ANS)
- individuals consistently displayed either high or low cardiovascular activity in response to stressor
What is the hardy or stress-resistant personality?
welcome challenges, take control, view stressors as growth opportunities
What is Type A personality?
Style resulting in continual stress
Personality traits: competitive, impatient, ambitious, hostile
What is Type B personality?
Experience lower levels of stress
Persoanlity traits: more relaxed, less hostile, and aggressive
What is type C personality?
Particularly vulnerable to stress
Persoanlity traits: positive attitudes but nabe to express or acknowledge negative feelings
What is the type D personality?
Distressed, which impacts health
Personality traits: worry, gloomy, socially inhabited
What are some connections between social support ad stress?
- support may increase self confidence when dealing with stressors
- support may provide a greater sense of control and optimism
- social feedback may change the stressed individual’s perspective
- a reassuring presence may reduce arousal and negative emotion that fuel stress reactions
- more social support seems to correlate with less stress
What is coping?
Efforts to manage, reduce, or tolerate stress
What are some examples of coping?
Humour - laughter may improve health
meditation - promotes relaxation
Lashing out - psychological or physical
Self-defence - defensive, avoidant behaviours to protect oneself from stress
Self-indulgence - alcohol, drugs, smoking, overreacting
What is psychoneuroimmunology?
Studies links between stress, the immune system and health
What is the immune system?
Organs, tissues,and cells, that identify and fight bodily invaders (viruses, bacteria, cancer cells)
What are lymphocytes?
White blood cells that are key in fighting bacteria and viral invaders
What is cortisol?
Stress hormone that loweres immune system functioning
What are cytokines?
Chronic cortisol drives up cytokine levels
- leads to long term inflammation which can contribute to heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses