Stress Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is the definition of stress?
The response of the mind and body following the appraisal of real or perceived threats or demands of a situation or features of the environment.
Stress has been defined in various ways, reflecting its multifaceted nature.
What is a ‘stressor’?
A stimulus or situational interaction that may evoke a potential stress response.
Stressors can be environmental agents or psychological states.
What is the difference between acute and chronic stress?
Acute stress is short-term, while chronic stress is ongoing.
Examples of acute stress include being chased by an animal, whereas chronic stress might involve caring for a family member with a chronic illness.
What is General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?
A model proposed by Hans Selye that describes the body’s response to stress in three stages: alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion/recovery.
GAS explains how the body reacts to stressors over time.
What are the three stages of General Adaptation Syndrome?
- Alarm reaction
- Resistance
- Exhaustion/Recovery
What is ‘eustress’?
Good stress that can motivate and enhance performance.
What is ‘distress’?
Bad stress that can lead to negative health outcomes.
What are the physiological approaches to measuring stress?
- Perspiration
- Heart rate
- Blood pressure
- Hormones (e.g., cortisol)
- Telomere length
What are the self-report approaches for measuring stress?
- Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)
- Stressful Life Events/Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)
- Job Content Questionnaire
- Visual Analogue Scales (VAS)
- Diaries
What is ‘allostatic load’?
The wear and tear caused to the body from repeated activation of compensatory physiological mechanisms in response to chronic stress.
What is the role of telomeres in stress?
Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes and shorten with repeated cell division due to stress, leading to potential cellular aging and health risks.
True or False: Stress is a modern epidemic.
True
There is a perception that stress levels are higher in modern society compared to the past.
What is emotion-focused coping?
Coping that attempts to relieve or regulate the emotional response to a stressor.
What is problem-focused coping?
Coping that attempts to directly manage the threat or stressor.
What is the primary appraisal in stress management?
The initial evaluation of whether a situation is a threat or a challenge.
What are some models of work stress?
- Job Characteristics Model (JCM)
- Job Demand-Control-Support (JDC(S))
- Vitamin Model (VM)
- Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI)
- Job Demands-Resources (JD-R)
What is the ‘sandwich generation’?
Individuals who are caught between meeting the needs of older and younger generations in their families.
Fill in the blank: The fight/flight response is a concept introduced by _______.
Walter Cannon
Fill in the blank: The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model was developed by _______.
Hans Selye
What are the psychological models of workplace stress mentioned?
- Job Demand-Control(-Support)
- Psychosocial Safety Climate
What is the Job Characteristics Model (JCM)?
A model that theorizes work stress occurs from a lack of work motivation due to deficiencies in five core job characteristics: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the job. Heightened when employee exhibits high growth need
(Hackman & Oldham, 1976)
What does the Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model emphasize?
It emphasizes a mismatch between job demands and job control, including social support as a counter to stress
(Karasek, 1979; Johnson & Hall, 1988)
Define the Vitamin Model (VM).
A model that suggests work stress arises from too much or too little of certain job characteristics, divided into constant effect (CE) and additional decrement (AD) categories
(Warr, 1987, 2007)
What is Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI)?
A theory that highlights a disproportionate level of effort expended at work relative to the rewards gained, specifically high effort and low rewards
(Peter & Siegrist, 1997; Siegrist, 1996)
