WK 13 L1 Health, stress and coping Flashcards
health psychology
application of psychology to the promotion of physical health and prevention and treatment of illness
Stress
unpleasant state of arousal that arises when we perceive that the demands of an event threaten our ability to cope effectively
subjective appraisal of the situation determines
how well will experience stress and what coping strategies we will use
Good stress/eustress- Selye
improves functioning, motivation and performance, can enhance creative potential and improve adaptive responses
Unhealthy stress
prolonged sense of unease or heightened mental and physical agitation
Stressor
anything that causes stress
PTSD
a person experiences enduring physical and psychological symptoms, often after an extremely stressful event
Mirco-stressors
most common form of stress that arises from the daily hassles that irritate us
links between stress and illness
stress breaks down our immune system
general adaptation syndrome
process your body goes through when it is exposed to positive or negative stress
3 stage response to stress
alarm, resistance and exhaustion
What stress does to the heart?
type a behaviour is a risk for coronary heart disease
Type A behaviour pattern
extreme behaviours of competitive achievement, urgency, hostility, aggression
why are hostility and CND linked
cardio system overworked, hostile people less health conscious
Psychocardiology
research that attempts to merge heart and mind
Psychoneuroimmunology
subfield of psych that examines the links among psychological factors, the brain and nervous system and immune system
Depressive explanatory style- abramson (1989)
depression is a state of hopelessness brought on by the negative self-attributions people made for failure
Seligman (1975)
depression results from learned helplessness- initial response ineffective, so stop trying
depressive explanatory style
a habitual tendency to attribute negative events to causes that are stable, global and internal
Self-efficacy- Albert bandura
the expectation that our behaviours can produce satisfying outcomes- a feeling of competence
dispositional optimism
optimism- generalised tendency to expect positive outcomes
how can optimism promote positive health outcomes
Biological- blood samples show optimists exhibit stronger immune responses to stress, Behavioural- explanatory style
Problem focused-coping
more likely in men- dealing with essential tasks- better to confront and control than to avoid
Emotion focused-coping
more common in women- positive emotions= broaden and build- shut down and suppress negative emotions
two aspects to opening up
acknowledge and understand one’s emotional reactions to vent, comfortable expressing inner feelings to self and others
Prochaska and diclemente- spiral model
contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, or spiralling back down
models of health behaviour change
individual, external an desire for change encompass behaviour change
Self focus
being in a bad mood triggers this- women brood and men act out
Proactive coping
prevention and minimisation
Subjective well-being
one’s happiness or life satisfaction
what predicts happiness
social reels, employment status and physical health
Keeping physically healthy
exercise, eat well, enough rest, spend time with those whose company you enjoy
Keeping healthy psychological
posture, relaxation, mindfulness, self-compassion, religion and spirituality
