Psych Chapter 11

Realism

A 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be

adaptation level phenomenon

Our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

Exhaustion phase

The final phase of the response-based stress model, which occurs if the resistance phase is unsuccessful; during this phase, the body either rests and recovers, or death occurs.

Learned helplessness

The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.

Stress

The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

Catastrophes

Unpredictable large-scale events that include wars, earthquakes, and famines

Health psychology

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine.

Pessimistic

a tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable.

Promoting health

address the stressors, soothe emotions, increase one's sense of control over stressors, exchange optimism for pessimism, get social support.

Reducing stress

aerobic exercise, relaxation and meditation, participation in communities of faith alternative medicine

Pessimism

belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess

Stress and AIDS

exposure to stress obviously worsens the development of AIDS in those exposed to HIV and reducing stress slows the progression of AIDS.

Stress and common cold

tradeoff between stress response and immune response may help our bodies focus energy on managing stress instead of fighting the cold

Daily hassles

Everyday minor events that annoy and upset people, rush-hour traffic, aggravating housemates, long lines at the store

Type A personality

Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people

Type B personality

Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people.

Depression

A prolonged feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and sadness

Problem-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress directly by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor.

General adaptation syndrome

Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases - alarm, resistance, exhaustion

Coping

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods

Stressor

an event or condition which we view as threatening, challenging, or overwhelming.

Stress reaction

any emotional and physical responses to the stressor such as rapid heartbeat, elevated cortisol levels, and crying

Emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction

Appraisal

deciding whether to view something as a stressor

Stress and cancer

stress may weaken the body's defenses against the replication and spread of malignant cells

Optimistic

hopeful and confident about the future

Benefits of brief experience of stress

improves immune system response, motivates action, focusing priorities, feeling engaged, energized, and satisfied, provides challenges that encourage growth, knowledge, and self esteem

Significant life changes

life transitions-leaving home, becoming divorced, losing a job, having a loved one die. Doesn't have to be negative, getting married causes stress

Harmful effects of prolonged stress

mental and physical coping systems become overwhelmed and defeated rather than strengthened and immune functioning and other health factors decline because of damage

Stress and heart disease

the blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle itself become clogged, narrowed, and closed. Stress causes cholesterol and clotting measures to increase

Alarm phase

the first phase of the GAS, in which a stressor is perceived and the fight-or-flight response is activated

External locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.

Relative deprivation

the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

Internal locus of control

the perception that you control your own fate

Positive psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

Resistance phase

the second phase of the GAS, your temperature, blood pressure, and respiration remain high. Adrenal glands pump hormones into your bloodstream. Fully engaged, make all your resources meet the challenge

Psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health