Ch 11 Flashcards
(39 cards)
Stress
is a person’s response to events that are threatening or challenging.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
study of the
relationship among psychological factors, the immune system,
and the brain.
Cataclysmic events
are strong stressors that
occur suddenly and typically affect many people simultaneously. (ex. tornadoes)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
phenomenon
where victims of major catastrophes or strong personal
stressors feel long-lasting effects that may include the re-experience of the event in vivid flashbacks or dreams.
Uplifts
are minor positive
events that make one feel good.
Exhaustion stage:
a person’s ability to adapt to the stressor declines to the point where negative consequences of stress appear (ex. Illness).
Stress produces indirect consequences that result in declines in health:
reduction in the likelihood of
obtaining health care and decreased compliance with medical advice when it is sought.
Emotion-focused coping:
People try to manage their emotions in the face of stress, seeking to change the way they feel about or perceive a problem.
Ex. Positive thinking, relaxing activities such as meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises.
Hardiness
is a personality characteristic that is associated with a lower rate of stress-related illness and consists of three components:
- Commitment
- Challenge
- Control
Social support
is the knowledge that we are part of a mutual network of caring, interested others.
Positive Psychology says we need PERMA
- Pleasure
- Engagement
- Relationships
- Meaning
- Accomplishment
Health psychology
branch of psychology that investigates
the psychological factors related to wellness and illness, including
the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
Personal stressors
are major life events that
produce an immediate major reaction that usually soon tapers off (ex. death)
Background stressors (“daily hassles”)
are everyday annoyances that cause minor irritations and may have long-term ill effects if they continue or are compounded by other stressful events. (ex. traffic)
Psychophysiological disorders
are an entire class of physical problems known as often result from or are worsened by stress
General adaptation syndrome (GAS)
is a theory developed by
Hans Selye that suggests that a person’s response to a stressor consists of three stages:
1. alarm and mobilization,
2. resistance,
3. and exhaustion.
Alarm and mobilization stage:
occurs when people become aware of the presence of a stressor.
On a biological level, the sympathetic nervous system becomes energized, helping to cope initially with the stressor.
Resistance stage
people prepare themselves to fight the stressor.
People use a variety of means to cope with the stressor—sometimes successfully—but at a cost of some degree of physical or
psychological general well-being.
Stress has direct physiological results
increase in blood pressure, increased hormonal
activity, and an overall decline in the functioning of the immune system.
Stress leads people to engage in behaviour that is harmful to their health
nicotine, drug, and alcohol use, poor eating habits, and decreased sleep.
Coping
is the efforts to control, reduce, or learn to tolerate the threats that lead to stress.
Problem-focused coping:
Attempts to modify the stressful problem or source of stress (often the most effective method of coping).
Problem-focused strategies lead to changes in behaviour or to the development of a plan of
action to deal with stress.
One of the least effective forms of coping is
avoidant coping
Another way of dealing badly with stress occurs unconsciously through the use of
defence mechanisms
