health, stress and coping Flashcards
(31 cards)
what is health psychology?
a field in which psychologists conduct and apply research aimed at promoting human health and preventing illness
what is stress?
the internal processes that occur as people try to adjust to events and situations, especially those that they perceive to be beyond their coping capacity
what are stressors?
events or situations to which people must adjust
what are stress reactions?
the physical, psychological and behavioural responses that occur in the face of a stressor
what does stress involve?
a transaction between people and their physical and psychological enviro
what do mediating factors do?
either minimise or magnify stressor’s impact
what is a psychological stressor?
any event that forces people to adjust can be a psychological stressor
what are types of psychological stressors?
- catastrophic events
- life changes and strains
- chronic problems
- daily hassles
what are immediate physical responses of stress?
- rapid breathing
- increased heart rate
- sweating
- shakiness
what are the physical responses to stress apart of?
general pattern known as fight-flight reaction
what is general adaption syndrome?
three stage pattern of responses triggered by the effort to adapt to any stressor
what are the three stages of the general adaption syndrome?
- alarm reaction
- resistance stage
- exhaustion stage
what does the alarm reaction stage of the general adaption syndrome involve?
some version of fight-or-flight
what is the alarm reaction stage of the general adaption syndrome controlled by?
the sympathetic branch of the ANS through organs and glands that make up the sympatho-adreno-medullary (SAM) system
what does the resistance stage of the general adaption syndrome involve?
if stressors persist the body settles into resist the stressor on a long-term basis
what does the exhaustion stage of the general adaption syndrome involve?
uses up body’s reserves of adaptive energy and then the body enters exhaustion
what does the exhaustion stage of the general adaption syndrome suppress?
the functioning of the body’s immune system, leaving people vulnerable to illness
what is diseases of adaption?
illnesses that are caused or worsened by stressors
what are the different psychological responses to stress?
- emotional
- cognitive
- behavioural
if stressors continue how may the emotional reactions be affected?
emotional stress reactions may persist
what do cognitive responses due to stress reduce?
ability to concentrate, think clearly and remember accurately
what is burnout?
a gradually intensifying pattern of physical, psychological and behavioural dysfunction response to continuous flow of stressors
what is PTSD?
pattern of adverse and disruptive reactions following a traumatic event
what are the two types of coping methods classified as?
- problem-focused coping
- emotion-focused coping
