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Chapter 11: Stress Response (Vocabulary (stressor (something that is…
Chapter 11: Stress Response
What is stress?
stress: tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms when a stressor strains our ability to cope effectively
traumatic event: stressor so severe that it can produce long-term psychological or health consequences
Approaches
stressors as STIMULI
social readjustment rating scale (SRRS) - rate intensity of stressor
stress as a RESPONSE
Daily hassle: minor, day-to-day irritations and annoyances that strains ability to cope
daily hassles' combined effects can be comparable to the effects of MAJOR LIFE CHANGES
daily hassles SLOWLY wear down personal resources
stress as a TRANSACTION
how you perceive your ability to interact with environment and solve that problem
Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome
ALARM STAGE: emergency reaction that prepares the body to FIGHT OR FLEE
brief REDUCTION in stress resistance, body is most likely to be exposed to infection and disease but immune system kicks in and body begins fighting back
RESISTANCE STAGE: body prepares for longer, sustained defense from stressor
immunity to infection and disease increases as body MAXIMIZES its defenses
EXHAUSTION STAGE: various physiological and immune systems fail
organs that were already weak BEFORE stress are the FIRST to fail
Eustress vs. Distress
eustress: stress of POSITIVE events (ex. getting accepted to college, preparing for a party)
distress: stress of NEGATIVE events (ex. late for an important meeting)
How do we cope with stress
Types of control
cognitive control
ability to think differently over negative emotions (top-down control over negative emotions)
behavioral control
problem-focused, active coping
problem-focused coping: taking direct steps to solve the problem
generating alternative solutions, weighing costs and benefits, choosing between them
decisional control
weigh the pros and cons of different actions
information control
getting all the information about a potentially stressful situation
emotional control
express feelings/experiences (ex. writing in a diary)
individual differences in coping
Hardiness
set of attitudes marked by a sense of CONTROL over events, COMMITMENT to life and work, and COURAGE and MOTIVATION to confront stressful events
Optimism
positive outlook on life
spirituality
search for the sacred, MAY OR MAY NOT BE GOD
Immune System and stress: psychoneuroimmunology
short term stress BOOSTS the immune system
chronic stress WEAKENS immune system
stress and colds
those who had high levels of stress BEFORE being exposed to cold virus had worse cold symptoms
when the underlying physiological basis of the stress response is activated too often/intensely, immune system is impaired -->. higher probability/severity of disease
psychophysiological: interaction of emotions and stress that contributes to/maintains/aggravates physical illnesses
Coronary heart disease and stress
Type A personalities were more likely to develop coronary heart disease than Type B personalities because of HOSTILITY FACTOR
Type A: competitive, hostile, driven, ambitious
Type B: noncompetitive, relaxed, easygoing, accommodating
Optimistic people have lower risk for heart disease
learning to manage stress and anger improves outcomes for those with heart disease
Promoting health
health psychology (behavioral medicine): integrates behavioral sciences with medicine
Stop smoking (20% will die of smoking-related disease)
Curb alcohol consumption
heavy episodic drinking: consuming 6+ drinks on one occasion
Healthy weight
Exercise more
Why is it so hard to be healthy
personal inertia: "let things be"
misestimating risk
feeling powerless
Vocabulary
stressor
something that is perceived as threatening and produces stress
HPA Axis
hypothalamus sends chemical message to pituitary gland
pituitary glands sends a hormone that reaches adrenal glands
adrenals release cortisol
cortisol circulates throughout body, increases amount of glucose in bloodstream
tend-and-befriend response
women tendency to protect/care for their offspring and form social alliances INSTEAD OF flight or flee response to threat
oxycotin
hormone important for mothers bonding to newborns, encourage affiliation during social stress
lymphocytes
specialized white blood cells that make up immune system
primary appraisals
making decisions about whether a stimulus is stressful, benign, or irrelevant
secondary appraisals
people evaluate their response options and choose coping behaviors
emotion-focused coping
people try to PREVENT having an emotional response to a stressor