Clinical Psych: Stress and Coping

Question 1

Stress

Answer 1

-negative emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physiological process that occurs as one adjusts to stressors

Question 2

Stressor

Answer 2

• any circumstances that disrupts, or potentially disrupts a persons daily functioning
• leads to stress response

Question 3

Stress and Stressors

Answer 3

-come from both physical and psychological aspects before and after events occur

Question 4

Types of Stressors

Answer 4

1. Life Changes: divorce, illness, job loss
2. Catastrophic Events: physical trauma, natural disaster, accidents
3. Acute Stressors: job interviews, performers
4. Daily Hassles: commuting, work, family
5. Chronic Stressors: long term illness, poverty, environment

Question 5

1. Social Readjustment Rating Scale

Answer 5

• Holmes and Rahe (1967) measuring stress method
• asked people to compare different life events to “getting married” as the medium of 50
• measured in “life changing units” (LCU)
• asked participants to write down life events within the past year and then had to add up the points based on LCU scale
• final number is the total amount of stress that year
• High Scores associated with negative outcomes of more stress

Question 6

Issues with SRRS

Answer 6

• the value of the even is missing in the numbers

- doesn’t evaluate personal perception of event

Question 7

2. Life Expectancy Survey

Answer 7

• Sarason measuring stress method
• asked for impact of the event on the individual, either negative or positive
• developed a more accurate description of the event

Question 8

Physical Stress Responses

Answer 8

• General Adaptation Syndrome
  1. Alarm Stage
  2. Resistance Stage
  3. Exhaustion Stage

Question 9

Alarm Stage

Answer 9

• fight or flight response
• controlled by sympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system
• increase respiration, heart rate, blood pressure

Question 10

Resistance Stage

Answer 10

-increase proud ion of steroids, shut down unnecessary processes

Question 11

Exhaustion Stage

Answer 11

-final rallying of defenses, weakening of the immune response, followed by death or breakdown

Question 12

HPA Axis: Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal

Answer 12

Hypothalamus

1. Sympathetic NS: adrenal medulla and insulin
2. Anterior Pituitary: adrenal cortex, endorphins, ACTH, CRH

Question 13

Stress Mediators

Answer 13

• response to a stressor depends on a variety of other factors
  1. Perception of stressor
  2. Predictability and control
  3. Coping Resources: money, time
  4. Coping Methods: problem vs. emotional focus
  5. Social Support
  6. Personality

Question 14

Lazarus Stress Mediator Lab

Answer 14

• showed film of bloody industrial accidents to students
• 3 instructed conditions: denial, control, intellectualization
• measured the skin conductance