chapter 4 - stress

Question 1

stressor

Answer 1

stimulus that causes stress

- can be positive or negative, environmental, psychological

Question 2

stress

Answer 2

an automatic psychological or physiological arousal in response to an internal or external stressor that challenges a person’s ability to cope to changing conditions

Question 3

daily pressures

Answer 3

day to day life experiences such as fighting with family members
hassles and pressures that seem fairly unimportant
little irritations can have a cumulative effect and will ultimately negatively affect our mental and physical wellbeing

Question 4

life events

Answer 4

involves significant life events such as death of a loved one or beginning of a new job

Question 5

acculturative stress

Answer 5

stress obtained through the process of learning a new language or adapting to customs and laws that are different to their own
- can be related to employment opportunities (discrimination)

Question 6

major stress and catastrophes hat disrupt entire community

Answer 6

• typically cannot be controlled such as natural disasters
  3 groups who experience stress
• those who witness the event
• those who were in the event
• those part of rescue team who dealt directly with devastation
  (susceptible to PTSD)

Question 7

fight-flight-freeze response

Answer 7

• critical for survival
  sympathetic: fight and flight
  parasympathetic: freeze

Question 8

when is it activated

Answer 8

impending danger
illness
instances of positive/negative stress

Question 9

cortisol

Answer 9

• released when the stressor is present, release of other stress hormones such as adrenalin and noradrenalin

Question 10

role of adrenalin and noradrenalin

Answer 10

• increase in heart rate and respiration so that oxygenated blood travels around the body to increase alertness

Question 11

role of cortisol

Answer 11

maintain blood glucose levels

- however prolonged stress suppresses the immune system and makes us more vulnerable to illnesses

Question 12

what happens when the stressor is removed

Answer 12

acetylcholine is released into the bloodstream and lowers the levels of cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenaline

Question 13

allostasis

Answer 13

• process of change that occurs to return the body to homeostasis
• frequent activation of fight-flight-freeze response can lead to increasing our allostatic load

Question 14

allostatic load

Answer 14

cumulative negative effects such as a weakened immune system in order to re-establish homeostasis

• occurs because our body is not designed to withstand repeated activations for a long period of time
• resistance

Question 15

allostatic overload

Answer 15

• no longer able to deal with these pressures and our physical reserves are depleted
• exhaustion

Question 16

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Answer 16

3 phase pattern of physiological responses

Question 17

alarm

Answer 17

• fight-flight-freeze response is activated, resulting in the release of stress hormones; cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin in order to increase energy

Question 18

shock

Answer 18

momentary drop in body temperature and blood pressure

- fainting/heart attack

Question 19

countershock

Answer 19

increases resistance to stressor
release of cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin
increased respiration and heart rate
fight-flight-freeze response is activated

Question 20

resistance

Answer 20

parasympathetic nervous system is activated; reduces the heart rate and respiration however, the blood glucose levels and stress hormones continue to circulate around the body
- if stress continues, the body remains in an elevated state with great energy resources in order to adapt physiologically to a higher level of stress; this depresses the immune system and makes hem more vulnerable to illnesses

Question 21

exhaustion

Answer 21

prolonged levels of physiological arousal; decline of body’s abilities to meet demands of stressor

• biological resources are depleted become severely depleted, susceptible to more life-threatening illnesses such as death; psychological exhaustion like depression
• increased release of cortisol

Question 22

strengths of GAS

Answer 22

• greater the intensity, the greater the physiological response
• identifies important connections between prolonged stress and illnesses

Question 23

limitations of GAS

Answer 23

• model is based on research conducted on rats and could not be generalised for human subjects
• fails to recognise the role of emotion or cognition

Question 24

lazarus and folkman’s transactional model of stress

Answer 24

focuses on psychological and cognitive processes of stress

• used human subjects
• emphasises individual perception and assessment of stressor

Question 25

cognitive appraisal

Answer 25

influenced by person's beliefs, goals, customs etc

Question 26

primary appraisal

Answer 26

rapid interpretation of the situation; whether or not it is perceived as a threat

Question 27

secondary appraisal

Answer 27

made at a more conscious level - person assesses what resources and energy they have to cope with the stressor - what strategies could be used to cope (emotion or problem)

Question 28

problem focused strategies

Answer 28

- reduce stress by behavioural modifications - targets the stressor directly e. g. taking control; such as revising more thoroughly for the next sac - adaptive form of coping

Question 29

emotion focused strategies

Answer 29

- reduce negative feelings associated with the stressor can be adaptive (proactive strategies to help reduce stress) or maladaptive (denial or distraction; preventing the person to adjust to the stressful situation) - targets emotional feeling triggered by stressor

Question 30

strengths of lazarus

Answer 30

- uses human subjects for developing the model | - acknowledges that perception of stress would differ

Question 31

limitations of lazarus

Answer 31

- primary appraisal and secondary appraisal can occur simultaneously - due to its subjective manner, difficult to experimentally test

Question 32

context specific effectiveness

Answer 32

considers unique characteristics of a situation or environment that the person is required to adapt to - effectiveness is determined by past experiences and whether the strategies previously used worked

Question 33

coping flexibility

Answer 33

ability of an individual to replace an ineffective coping strategy with a different effective one

Question 34

reappraisal

Answer 34

realise that it is not as bad as we originally thought or decide to reinterpret the situation as a challenge.

Question 35

ways to deal with stress

Answer 35

exercise, avoidant, approach

Question 36

exercise

Answer 36

not being physically active may result in agitation or anxiety

Question 37

exercise and cardiovascular system

Answer 37

short term: increased heart rate, increased bp, increased oxygen sent to working muscles long term: reduced recovery time, reduction in heart rate, increased strength and size of heart muscle

Question 38

role of edorphins

Answer 38

natural painkillers; interacts with receptors of brain and reduces physical pain after injury

Question 39

avoidant

Answer 39

denial - pretending the stressor doesnt exist distancing - places distance between stressor and themselves; temporarily achieving relief oversleeping - using sleep to avoid stressful situations - typically used when beyond control

Question 40

approach

Answer 40

seeking advice from counsellors or family members | accepting responsibility or blame

Question 41

stress

Answer 41

automatic physiological and psychological arousal caused by internal or external stressors that challenge a persons ability to cope/adapt to the situation

Question 42

coping

Answer 42

act of constantly changing thoughts or behaviours in order to manage stressors

Question 43

chronic vs acute

Answer 43

long term vs intensity

Question 44

why is exercise important

Answer 44

- reduces stress hormone levels in bloodstream | - release of endorphins which reduce pain and stress levels