Chapter 15 - Health & Stress

Question 1

an interdisciplinary approach to medical treatment that integrates behavioral, medical, and social knowledge to increase life expectancy and enhance quality of life

Answer 1

behavioral medicine

Question 2

psychologically based aspect of behavioral medicine

Answer 2

health psychology

Question 3

physical and mental response to threatening or challenging events

Answer 3

stress

Question 4

event that a person perceives as threatening or challenging

Answer 4

stressor

Question 5

temporary state of stress that varies in intensity

Answer 5

acute stress

Question 6

long-lasting state of arousal during which a person feels that he or she doesn’t have the resources available to meet all of the demands placed upon him or her

Answer 6

chronic stress

Question 7

field that investigates the physical environment’s effects on behavior and health

Answer 7

environmental psychology

Question 8

low-level, positive type of stress that helps a person perform a task or achieve a goal

Answer 8

eustress

Question 9

prolonged, negative type of stress characterized by a challenge being perceived as a daunting obstacle

Answer 9

distress

Question 10

physiological response to stressors, triggered by the amygdala, in which the body becomes prepared for action

Answer 10

fight-or-flight response

Question 11

a response to stress that consists of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

Answer 11

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Question 12

an unpredictable, large-scale event

Answer 12

catastrophe

Question 13

state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation and accompanied by lowered performance and motivation

Answer 13

burnout

Question 14

minor nuisance that, when combined with other small problems, can create a stressful environment

Answer 14

hassle

Question 15

condition characterized by the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle

Answer 15

coronary heart disease

Question 16

personality type characterized by a competitive, impatient, verbally aggressive, easily angered nature

Answer 16

type A

Question 17

personality type characterized by an easygoing, relaxed nature

Answer 17

type B

Question 18

type of white blood cell

Answer 18

lymphocyte

Question 19

disorder characterized by physical symptoms that do not have an identifiable cause

Answer 19

somatoform disorder

Question 20

symptom such as chronic fatigue or hypertnesion that is caused by psychological reactions to stress

Answer 20

psychophysiological (“mind-body”) illness

Question 21

disorder in which a person becomes so preoccupied with minor symptoms that he or she develops an exaggerated belief that the symptoms are indicative or a life-threatening illness

Answer 21

hypochondriasis

Question 22

somatoform disorder characterized by the sudden, temporary loss of a sensory function

Answer 22

conversion disorder

Question 23

somatoform disorder characterized by vague, unverifiable symptoms such as dizziness and nausea

Answer 23

somatization disorder

Question 24

strategy that helps a person reduce or minimize the effects of stressors

Answer 24

coping strategy

Question 25

thoughtful interpretation and evaluation

Answer 25

cognitive appraisal

Question 26

person’s initial evaluation of the seriousness of a stressor and the extent of the demands it will put on that person

Answer 26

primary appraisal

Question 27

person’s reassessment of a stressor that focuses on the actions he or she needs to take and the resources that will help him or her overcome the stressor

Answer 27

secondary appraisal

Question 28

coping strategy that involves facing a stressor directly and working to overcome it

Answer 28

rational coping

Question 29

coping strategy that involves finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat

Answer 29

reframing

Question 30

coping strategy that involves maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint and trying not to think about the stressor

Answer 30

repressive coping

Question 31

coping strategy that involves a person’s foreseeing a potential stressor and considering it in terms of how he or she has previously handled similar stressors, what he might do similarly in the situation, and what he has learned from past mistakes

Answer 31

anticipatory coping

Question 32

coping strategy that involves a person’s attempting to alleviate stress directly, either by eliminating the source of a stressor or by changing the way he or she behaves in stressful situation

Answer 32

problem-focused coping

Question 33

coping strategy that involves a person’t attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding the stressor and soothing stress-related emotions

Answer 33

emotion-focused coping

Question 34

therapeutic technique in which clients are taught how to evaluate and cope with various stressors and are then exposed to increasingly stressful situations in a controlled environment to strengthen these coping mechanisms

Answer 34

stress inoculation

Question 35

refers to the way in which a person explains events to himself

Answer 35

explanatory style

Question 36

sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness

Answer 36

aerobic exercise

Question 37

system for measuring and reporting physiological states

Answer 37

biofeedback

Question 38

therapeutic technique that involves alternately tensing and relaxing muscles in the body and practicing breathing exercises in order to relieve tension

Answer 38

relaxation therapy

Question 39

consists of reduced muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure

Answer 39

relaxation response