Chapter 4: Stress

Question 1

Hans Seyle

Answer 1

Hungarian born endocrinologist credited with discovering two major components of stress: 1) the body has a remarkably similar response to many different stressors 2) stressors can sometimes make you sick

Question 2

stressor

Answer 2

any event or situation that triggers coping adjustments

Question 3

stress

Answer 3

the process by which we perceive and respond to events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging. it’s important to know that we must judge a challenging event or situation to be threatening or even beyond our ability to cope before we will be stressed by it. stress is a function of appraisal

Question 4

is stress sometimes beneficial when it’s short-lived?

Answer 4

yes. it can have positive effects such as mobilizing the immune system to fight off disease and infection, and promote healing

Question 5

biological stress responses can?

Answer 5

can differ somewhat according to each individual’s unique physiology/physiological reactivity (same basic processes affect us all)

Question 6

psychological stress responses can?

Answer 6

affect how we appraise challenging situations - either as manageable (not stressful) or unmanageable (stressful) - based on our personalities and individual life experiences

Question 7

sociocultural stress responses can?

Answer 7

affect how we appraise stress from many different sources, including major life events, daily hassles, work, and family

Question 8

stressors: significant life events

Answer 8

the SRRS (social readjustment rating scale) was the first systematic attempt to quantify the impact of life changes on health. (life changing units) LCU’s were positively correlated with likelihood of getting sick. problems with this study included vague and subjective items being listed as reasons for LCU’s, failed to consider individual differences, and the SRRS and other scales lump all events together - whether positive or negative

Question 9

what is important to remember about psychological theory in general?

Answer 9

a measure of a good theory is that it generates research that leads to new understanding, even if it also leads to its own demise.

Question 10

stressors: daily hassles

Answer 10

more significant sources of stress than significant life events due to differences in frequency (concern about weight, health of a family member, home maintenance, and misplacing/losing something)

Question 11

everyday hassles

Answer 11

mundane irritants and stressors negatively impact physical and mental health more than major life events. those with higher anxiety to begin with, those with trouble letting go, and people who perceive low levels of social support will find daily hassles more stressful

Question 12

background stress

Answer 12

coupled with daily hassles can significantly increase one’s likelihood of getting sick

Question 13

stressors: work

Answer 13

job stress that is chronic is dangerous for one’s health. busier people are happier, but chronic stress is unhealthy

Question 14

age and job change

Answer 14

the older you are, the more stressful a job change will become because your skills may not be current for a job market you maybe didn’t plan on being in, disruptive to a social network, and a loss of job seniority often means a lower salary

Question 15

social evaluative threat

Answer 15

a stressor in which people fear negative evaluation by others of their appearance or ability

Question 16

stereotype threat

Answer 16

the experience of stress in a situation where a person’s ability, appearance, or other characteristic has the potential to confirm a negative viewpoint about his or her racial group

Question 17

overload

Answer 17

a job environment where you’re being overworked for too long

Question 18

role overload

Answer 18

managing multiple roles affects both men and women - increase in employment of women has triggered more research on role overload and job related stress in women

Question 19

what have researchers found about multiple roles with regard to women?

Answer 19

there are generally health benefits associated with playing multiple roles with women. employment is an important source of self esteem and life satisfaction

Question 20

what have researchers concluded about roles?

Answer 20

number of roles doesn’t matter, the quality of the experience in those roles does

Question 21

burnout

Answer 21

physical and psychological exhaustion (mental exhaustion, absenteeism, high job turnover, abnormal stress hormone levels)

Question 22

the demand - control model

Answer 22

job requirements vs. workers’ perception of autonomy. people who experience high demands with little control over there jobs are more likely stressed. repetitive tasks with little autonomy cause workers to stress most

Question 23

other sources of job related stress

Answer 23

role ambiguity and conflict, shift work, job loss, lack of fairness and inadequate career development

Question 24

social interactions

Answer 24

help deal with stress, often serving as a buffer against low control

Question 25

the physiology of stress

Answer 25

epinephrine and cortisol are released into the bloodstream in fight or flight mode (worrying about the boss causes the same effect in the body as does having a Mexican standoff with a wild animal)

Question 26

the role of the nervous system in stress

Answer 26

somatic nervous system neurons transmit nerve impulses to our brain, announcing a threat. the reticular formation alerts the brain of the challenge

Question 27

the role of the endocrine system

Answer 27

under stress, the hypothalamus orders the pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which is taken up by the receptors in the adrenal glands and orders the adrenal medulla secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine into the blood

Question 28

physiological measures

Answer 28

changes in heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, and the electrical conductance of the skin. samples of saliva can tell researchers how much epinephrine and norepinephrine is in the blood, indicating stress levels

Question 29

psychoneuroimmunology

Answer 29

the field of research that emphasizes the interaction of psychological, neural, and immunological processes in stress and illness

Question 30

the direct effect hypothesis

Answer 30

stress may directly effect immune efficiency through the activation of the HPA and SAM axes. stress activates immune responses

Question 31

the indirect hypothesis

Answer 31

stress alters immune processes indirectly by encouraging maladaptive behaviors

Question 32

duration of stress

Answer 32

duration of stress is linked to its effect on the body. chronic stress is worse for the body than short term stress

Question 33

allostatic load

Answer 33

the cumulative long-term effects of the body’s physiological response to stress

Question 34

glucocorticoid receptor resistance model

Answer 34

the idea that chronic stress promotes the development and progression of disease by reducing the sensitivity of immune system receptors to glucocorticoid hormones such as cortisol, thereby interfering with the body’s ability to regulate the inflammatory response

Question 35

general-adaptation syndrome (alarm, resistance, exhaustion)

Answer 35

Selye’s term for the body’s reaction to stress, which consists of three stages, alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

Question 36

transactional model

Answer 36

Lazarus’s theory that the experience of stress depends as much on the individual’s appraisal of a stressor’s impact as it does on the event or situation itself

Question 37

primary appraisal

Answer 37

a person’s initial determination of an event’s meaning, whether irrelevant, benign-positive, or threatening

Question 38

secondary appraisal

Answer 38

a person’s determination of whether his or her own resources and abilities are sufficient to meet the demands of an event that is appraised as potentially threatening or challenging

Question 39

cognitive reappraisal

Answer 39

we constantly reevaluate stressful events

Question 40

diathesis stress model

Answer 40

predisposing factors int he person and precipitating factors from the environment determine susceptibility to stress-related illness

Question 41

reactivity

Answer 41

our physiological reaction to stress, which varies by individual and affects our vulnerability to illness

Question 42

PTSD

Answer 42

a psychological disorder triggered by expose to an extreme traumatic stressor such as combat or a natural disaster

Question 43

SAM (sympatho pituitary medullary)

Answer 43

first response hypothalamus orders the pituitary to release adreno corticotropic hormone, which triggers the release of epinepherine by the adrenal medulla

Question 44

HPA (hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical)

Answer 44

this is the second line response, which is responsible for returning the body to its original state of equilibrium, a process known as homeostasis. The HPA is activated when messages from the central nervous system are sent to the hypothalamus, which in turn secretes corticotropin release hormone (CRH) or corticosteroids that reduce inflammation and promoted healing

Question 45

corticosteroids

Answer 45

produced in the adrenal cortex, that fight inflammation, promote healing, and trigger the release of stored energy

Question 46

glucocorticoid receptor resistance model

Answer 46

the idea that chronic stress promotes the development and progression of disease by reducing the sensitivity of immune system receptors to glucocorticoid hormones such as cortisol, thereby interfering with the body’s ability to regulate the inflammatory response

Question 47

eustress

Answer 47

positive health enhancing stress

Question 48

Per Lazurus

Answer 48

built the framework that says we decide if a stressor is controllable and important when we encounter it

Question 49

cortisol (glucocorticoid)

Answer 49

powerful hormone that regulates metabolism in cells and regulates stress responses. steroid-based hormone. amount of cortisol depends on how much stress you’re experiencing