Psychology Module 36

stress

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

True or False: Physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion help define burnout

True

True or False: Students identified as optimists have stronger immune systems and are less likely to become ill or fatigued than students identified as pessimists.

True

True or False: Those experiencing instant anger over minor annoyances, especially those with aggressive-reactive personalities, are the most prone to heart attacks.

True

When Reesa's boss accidentally misplaced the 200 page report Reesa had been working on for weeks, Reesa laughed and said, "No problem. Everyone loses something occasionaly." Based on this example which personality type would you say fits Reesa best?

Type B

burnout

a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation and accompanied by lowered performance and motivation

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that focuses on how stress affects well-being and health

Type A Personality

a term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people

Type B personality

a term for easygoing, relaxed people

A patient in a hospital shows significant improvement when she is given control over her pain medication. This example demonstrates the importance of

perceived control over a stressor

Daily stress

persistent daily hassles

stress and heart disease

stress predicts the risk of heart attack

hippocampus

vital for memory recall

What would most likely interest a health psychologist?

Does deep breathing after encountering a stressor lessen a stress reaction

True or False: Appraising a life event optimistically as a challenge rather than a threat is a poor predictor of better health.

False

Research indicates that high levels of stress

negatively affect the body's ability to fight cancer

Types of stress

1. Daily stress 2. significant changes 3. catastrophes

3 Phases of General Adaptation syndrome

1. alarm reaction 2. resistance 3. exhaustion

Results of burnout

1. depression 2. decreased performance and productivity 3. cynicism

Cancer and stress

1. stress does not appear to create cancer cells 2. stress weakens the body's ability to fight cancer cells

general adaptation syndrome

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

Hans Selye

discovered a predictable recurring response to all stressors likened to a motion detector

Walter Cannon

discovered the release of stress hormones into the nervous system