Chapter 3: Stress Flashcards

Question

The gut (microbiome) | 'Second brain'

Answer 1

- **Communicates w brain** to influence the body's health - Unique and affected by internal and external factors - Contains microbiota (bacteria, fungi, viruses, biotics) - These factors include diet, disease, lifestyle and nutrition - Diversity of the gut microbiota decreases with age - Known to produce & release NTS (e.g. GABA, serotonin, dop)

Answer 2

- Refers to the **unique combination of the gut microbiota** we each possess

Answer 3

- **Large microbiota population** with **high diversity** - Resistant to disturbances (e.g. antibiotics, poor diet)

Answer 4

- **Unbalanced number or type of microbiota** - Associated w changes in NT production and activity in NS - Associated w digestive disorders (e.g. IBS), inflammatory diseases, infections and poor cognitive function

Answer 5

- Consuming **probiotics** (”good” bacteria) via supplements, pickles, kimchi, yogurt - Healthy **faecal microbiotal transplants** ## Footnote NOTE: Improving gut health is beneficial in managing gut relates issues such as stress.

Answer 6

- The ability to **explain concepts effectively** - A theory / model with high explanatory power: - Explains or **accounts for more observations** - Makes **fewer assumptions** - Is more **falsifiable** (open to criticism / further testing) - Provides more details of **cause-and-effect relationship**

Answer 7

- **Biological** model of stress developed by **Hans Seyle** - A **three-stage physiological response** to stress involving alarm (shock/countershock), resistance and exhaustion - **Non-specific** (occurs regardless of the type of stressor) - Suggests a pattern to all experiences of stress, including eustress and distress - Identical within all members of the same species, in this case rats ## Footnote TIP: SCARE = shock, countershock, alarm, resistance and exhaustion.

Answer 8

- Comprised of two sub-stages: shock and counter shock - **Shock** – **temporary state of shock** where the **body’s ability to cope w stressor briefly falls** below normal - Drop in body temperature, blood pressure, muscle tone and loss of fluid in body tissues - Can involve fainting / heart attack - Occurs upon initial exposure to the stressor - **Counter shock** – **rebound reaction** where the **body’s ability to cope w stressor increases** - Sympathetic NS activated (initiates FF response) - Adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones released into the blood stream - ↑ heart and breathing rate, arousal and energy (glucose and oxygen) supplied to muscles

Answer 9

- Body’s **resistance to the stressor rises above normal** - **Cortisol continues to be released** (further energises body & helps repair any damages that may have occurred) - **Reduced resistance to illness / disease** due to cortisol weakening the immune system - **Physiological arousal remains above normal** but intense arousal from stage 1 diminishes - **Unnecessary processes are supressed** to maximise resources to cope with the stressor (digestion, sex drive, menstruation, production of sperm) - **Person can still feel well** and able to perform daily taks - If the stressor is successfully dealt with in this stage, the body returns to its homeostatic state - Cortisol has immunosuppressive effects (can become ill)

Answer 10

- Body **can no longer maintain resistance** if the stressor is not successfully dealt with in the resistance stage - **Resources are depleted**, leaving the body **weak and vulnerable** to physical and mental disorders - Evidenced by fatigue, sleep disturbances, severe concentration loss, irritability and a depressed mood

Answer 11

- Explains the **immediate and long-term effects** of stress with reference to research - Established **links between chronic stress & disease** (e.g. prolonged stress can ↑ likelihood of illness) - Identifies **biological processes** associated with the body’s stress response (e.g. roles of endocrine system) - Highlights the **predictable pattern of chronic stress** which can be easily tested in a lab - Results also showed that prolonged stress can lead to death in lab rats

Answer 12

- **Does not consider individual response differences** (diff people have diff responses to same stressor) - **Based on animal research** and may therefore be of limited relevance to human stress response (rats have a simpler NS and therefore a less varied stress response) - **Does not consider environmental factors** (e.g. social support) that can exacerbate / mitigate stress - **Temporal validity** (does not consider new information) ## Footnote NOTE: Specifically apply limitation to question.

Answer 13

- **What the event means to an individual** - **Individual judgment of their ability to cope** - Prior experiences - Personality/attitude - Optimism/pessimism - Motivations and goals - General life oulook ## Footnote NOTE: Lazarus and Folkman identified the first two points as the main factors that determine the extent to which an event is experienced as stressful.

Answer 14

- **Psychological** model of stress by **Lazarus and Folkman** - Suggests that stress is highly subjective and is a product of an individual’s appraisal of a stressor - **Stress = encounter (‘transaction’) + stress response** - Encounter – between a person & their environment - Stress response – based on the person's evaluation of the stressor and their ability to cope with it

Answer 15

- **Evaluation of the situation's importance** - Does it matter? Is it important? - Results in a decision about whether the event is: - **Irrelevant** – does not matter/apply to me - **Benign-positive** – neutral/not stressful - **Stressful** – harmful, threatening or challenging

Answer 16

- **Harm** – how much damage has already occurred - E.g. ‘I have lost my job’ - **Threat** – harm that has not occurred but could occur in the future - E.g. ‘I might not be able to afford the rent’ - **Challenge** – potential for personal gain or growth from the situation (most positive form of stress) - E.g. ‘I’ll find another job and learn to budget my money’

Answer 17

- Involves the **evaluation of available mechanisms and resources to cope with a situation** - Adequate coping resources = little / no stress - Inadequate resources = stress - Coping options can be: - Internal – strength and determination - External – support from family or friends

Answer 18

- **Strengths** - Emphasises subjective nature of stress response - Explains why people respond to stressors differently - Developed with reference to observations of people - **Limitations** - 1 & 2 appraisal can interact & occur simultaneously - Difficult to test through experimental research due to variability of individual stress responses - Stress can be experienced without thinking about the situation (appraisal is not essential)

Answer 19

- Whether a person experiences stress depends upon the individual’s evaluation of the particular event - Situation only leads to stress if it is interpreted as –ve

Answer 20

- **Attempting to manage stressor** in some effective way - Involves cognitive & behavioural efforts to manage stressors that are appraised as exceeding one's resources

Answer 21

- **Methods used to manage stress due to stressor** - May involve an action(s) or a thought process - Divided into approach and avoidance coping

Answer 22

- When a coping strategy **matches or is a 'good fit'** to the stressful situation - E.g. an effective coping stategy when stressed about an exam would be planning and studying, whereas ‘wishful thinking,’ whilst engaging in minimal study is likely to be detrimental

Answer 23

- Personality, knowledge, skills, interests and preferences - Access to social support from family, friends or community

Answer 24

- Ability to **effectively modify a coping strategy according to the specific demands of the stressor** - Selecting a coping strategy that suits the specific situation - Recognising when a coping strategy is ineffective - Discontinuing 👎🏻 coping strats / implementing alternatives

Answer 25

- Individuals with **high coping flexibility**: - More likely to adequately cope w positive outcomes - Able to adjust a coping strategy if found ineffective - Good fit between strategy and situation’s demands - Individuals with **low coping flexibility**: - Not very adaptable (less likely to adequately cope) - Rely on same coping strategies, even if ineffective - Use same strategies across diff stressful situations

Answer 26

- ↑ cop flex **+vely influences** context-specific effectiveness - Makes achieving context-specific effectiveness more likely (can adapt their coping strat to meet demands of stressor)

Answer 27

- **Approach** – coping with stress by **directly** confronting and dealing with the stressor and its effects - Creating a solution that minimises / eliminates issue - E.g. seeking advice, apologising, taking responsibility - **Avoidant** – evading and **indirectly** dealing with the stressor and its effects - No attempt to actively confront stressor & its causes - Ineffective in the long-term - E.g. denial, distancing, procrastination

Answer 28

- **Advantages** - Direct management is beneficial in the long-term - Generally considered more adaptive and effective - **Disadvantages** - Requires more energy and focus, which may cause the individual to neglect other aspects of their life - Not suitable for every situation (e.g. when nothing practical can be done about the stressor)

Answer 29

- **If the stressor is beyond one's control** and nothing practical can be done to address it - Avoiding unnecessary exposure to the stressor can prevent unnecessary distress - E.g. ignoring or avoiding a pessimistic co-worker - **Dealing with stress in the short term** - More when coupled w / followed by approach cop - E.g. firstly distancing (avoidance) during an argument to calm intense emotions, then returning to situation to effectively communicate (approach)

Answer 30

- **Uses up cortisol**, helping the body return to homeostasis - Releases endorphins which reduces negative emotions - Reduces muscle tension from fight / flight - Focus on breathing / repetitive movement (calming effect) ## Footnote NOTE: Exercise is commonly an avoidant strategy. It can be an approach strategy IF the source of stress is the need to improve physical fitness (e.g. a low fitness level resulting in poor self-esteem and stress).

Chapter 3: Stress Flashcards

(54 cards)