Stress

Question 1

what is stress

Answer 1

the psychological and physiological state of tension in response to a stimulus

Question 2

what is arousal

Answer 2

the state if being physiologically alert, awake and attentive

Question 3

what is a stressor

Answer 3

a stimulus that causes stress

Question 4

what is acute stress

Answer 4

stress that provides high levels of arousal for a short amount of time

Question 5

what is chronic stress

Answer 5

stress that involves high levels of arousal and persists for long periods of time. it is harmful to one’s wellbeing

Question 6

what is the fight-flight-freeze response

Answer 6

an involuntary, physical response to a sudden and immediate threat in readiness to either fight, flight or freeze

Question 7

what are the fight and flight reactions activated by

Answer 7

sympathetic nervous system

Question 8

what happens when we are confronted by a threat

Answer 8

heart rate and breathing rate increases, pupils dilate (to let as much light in as possible), more blood is directed to muscles to prepare the body to either fight or flight

Question 9

what happens to the body is the threat is extremely overwhelming

Answer 9

the freeze reaction kicks in. the heart rate and blood pressure drops, and muscles lose their tension.

Question 10

what is cortisol

Answer 10

the primary stress hormone

Question 11

what does cortisol do

Answer 11

energises the body, allowing it to better deal with the stressor

Question 12

what happens is there is high levels of cortisol over a prolonged period of time

Answer 12

reduces the efficiency of the immune system

Question 14

what is the gut-brain axis (GBA)

Answer 14

a biochemical network of nerves that send signals between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system

Question 15

relationship between gut and brain**

Answer 15

the relationship is BIODIRECTIONAL meaning that the gut microbiota can affect the brain, but the brain can also affect the gut microbiota

Question 16

what are microbiota

Answer 16

a large population of bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract

Question 17

healthy vs unhealthy microbiota

Answer 17

healthy microbiota produces important hormones and neurotransmitters while unhealthy microbiota can cause inflammation and the release of anxiety-producing hormones

Question 18

gut microbiota to brain

Answer 18

• alters levels of neurotransmitters
• neural plasticity

Question 19

brain to gut microbiota

Answer 19

• serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline all affect the gut
• abnormalities in brain function can lead to GIT issues
• stress hormones shift gut microbiota

Question 20

what is does GAS stand for

Answer 20

general adaptation syndrome

Question 21

what is selye’s general adaptation syndrome

Answer 21

a three stage psychological response to stress that occurs no matter what the stressor is that is encountered

Question 22

what are the 3 stages of the GAS model

Answer 22

1. alarm reaction
2. resistance
3. exhaustion

Question 23

what is alarm reactions subdivisions

Answer 23

shock and countershock

Question 24

what happens in alarm reaction

Answer 24

the individual first becomes aware of the stressor. first the body goes into a temporary state of shock, and its ability to deal with the stressor decreases.

the body then goes into countershock, during which the sympathetic nervous system is activated and the body’s resistance to the stressor increases. adrenaline is released and heart and breathing rate increases.

Question 25

what happens in resistance

Answer 25

if the stressor isn’t dealt with, the resistance stage is reached. during resistance stage the body’s ability to deal with the stressor rises above normal, cortisol is released into the blood stream. minor sicknesses such as colds, occur at the resistance stage due to increased cortisol levels.

Question 26

what happens in exhaustion

Answer 26

if the stressor isn’t removed, the body enters exhaustion stage, during which its ability to deal with the stressor decreases. this is characterised by extreme fatigue and high levels of anxiety, and major illnesses such as heart disease.

Question 27

GAS model strengths

Answer 27

- one of the first to link stress to disease - involved in a clear 3 phases common to all stressors - incorporated an exhaustion phase

Question 28

GAS model limitations

Answer 28

- assumes everyone has exactly the same responses, which may not be true. “one size fits all” model. - dosen’t take into account a cognitive view point. eg. two people may judge the same situation differently - stressful or not stressful. - was tested on rats - may not be fully applicable to humans

Question 29

what does the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping state?

Answer 29

that stress involves an encounter between an individual and their environment, and that a stress response depends upon the individuals appraisal of the stressor and their ability to cope

Question 30

what is appraisal

Answer 30

the immediate process of interpreting the meaning of an event or situation

Question 31

what are the 3 subheadings under stressful in the Lazarus and Folkman Transactional Model

Answer 31

- harm/loss - threat - challenge

Question 32

what is primary appraisal

Answer 32

stressful or not stressful

Question 33

what is secondary appraisal

Answer 33

coping resources are adequate and coping resources are inadequate

Question 34

steps for Lazarus + Folkman’s Transactional Model

Answer 34

1. primary appraisal (evaluate significance of event to stressful or not stressful) 2. of the situation is stressful, then more appraisal occurs to decide if the situation is harm/loss (eg. i have lost my wallet), a threat (eg. i may not be able to pay the bills), or challenge (eg. ill learn to budget) 3. in secondary appraisal we evaluate coping options and resources, and our ability to deal with the stressor. 4. if we have enough coping skills or resources then stress may not occur. if we perceive the situation as too much for our coping skills and resources, then stress will occur.

Question 35

what happens in primary appraisal

Answer 35

evaluate significance of event

Question 36

what happens in secondary appraisal

Answer 36

evaluate coping options and resources, and our ability to deal with the stressor.

Question 37

strengths of the Lazarus + Folkman Transactional Model

Answer 37

- understands that each individual will react differently to a situation -the individual has an active, rather than a passive role. - includes personal appraisals of a situation, which explains why people react in different ways to the same stressor

Question 38

Lazarus + Folkman’s Transactional models limitations

Answer 38

- difficult to test through experimental research - primary snd secondary aporaisals are often undertaken simultaneously and can interact with eachother. therefore difficult to isolate for study. - doubt whether we actually need to appraise something as stressful to have a stress response.

Question 39

what is a coping strategy

Answer 39

a specific method that individuals use to manage stress produced by a stressor.

Question 40

what is context specific effectiveness

Answer 40

refers to the coping strategy ‘matching’ the stressor

Question 41

what is coping flexibility

Answer 41

an individuals ability to affectively change or modify their coping technique when necessary.

Question 42

low coping flexibility

Answer 42

tend to stick to the same strategy’s across a number of situations

Question 43

high coping flexibility

Answer 43

change their coping strategies if their current strategy isn’t working

Question 44

approach coping strategies

Answer 44

involve direct efforts to confront a stressor and deal directly with it

Question 45

avoidance coping strategies

Answer 45

involve efforts that invade a stressor and deal indirectly with it