Intro to Psychology- Stress & Health

Resistance Phase

Adaptation and coping

Avoiding sexual risks, smoking and/or drinking

Illusion of unique invulnerability

Religiosity

Affiliation with or engagement in the practices of a particular religion. Has helpful effects in a wide range of areas.

Malingering

Feigning medical or psychological symptoms to achieve something one wants

Hypochondriasis

Occurs when a person is preoccupied with minor symptoms and develops an exaggerated belief that the symptoms signify a life-threatening illness

Stress

Physical and Psychological responses to internal or external stressors.

Alarm Phase

Rapid mobilization

Challenge

Stressor you feel fairly confident you can control.

Wearing

Stressors can cause hormones (glucocorticoids) to flood the brain _______ down the immune system and making it less able to fight invaders.

Environmental Stressors

Stressors linked to a particular environment.

Psychoneuroimmunology

Study of how the immune system responds to psychological variables.

Health Psychology

Subfield of psychology concerned with ways psychological factors influence: Causes of treatment of physical illness Maintenance of health

Nothing

When are events most stressful? When there is _______ we can do to overcome the stressor or problem.

Lymphocytes

White blood cells that produce antibodies that fight infection

Repressive Coping

Avoiding situations or thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint. Helps us ignore certain stressors, but may ultimately make things worse in the long run

Telomeres

Caps at the ends of each chromosome that protect the ends of chromosomes and prevent them from sticking to each other.

Situational Management

Changing your life situation as a way to reduce the impact of stress on your mind and body

Exhaustion Phase

Collapse

Sickness Response

Coordinated, adaptive set of reactions to illness organized by brain; can be prompted through stress without infection.

Secondary Appraisal

Determination of whether the stressor is something that can be handled or not

Aerobic Exercise

Exercise that increases heart rate and oxygen intake for sustained period. Associated with higher levels of well-being and increased levels of serotonin and endorphins.

Rational Coping

Facing the stressor and working to overcome it using 3 steps: acceptance, exposure, and understanding

Spirituality

Having a belief in and engagement with some higher power, not necessarily linked to any particular religion. Has helpful effects in a wide range of areas.

Meditation Relaxation Biofeedback Aerobic Exercise

Name FOUR types of Body Management talked about in this Chapter

Alarm Phase Resistance Phase Exhaustion Phase

Name the THREE phases of GAS

Repressive Coping Rational Coping Reframing

Name the THREE types of Mind Management talked about in this Chapter.

Social Support Religious Experiences Humor

Name the THREE types of Situation Management

Somatization Disorder

Occurs when a person experiences a combination of physical complaints that have no medical explanation

Accelerates

Recent research has revealed that stress significantly ___________ the aging process.

Eating Wisely

Related to self-regulation. Portion control; consumption control; focus on nutrition and exercise instead of dieting

Reframing

Rethinking in a positive way, stress inoculation training (SIT), thought journals

Chronic Stressors

Sources of stress that occur continuously or repeatedly.

Stressors

Specific events or chronic stressors that place demands on a person or threaten one's well being.

Hardiness

Stress-resistnt group characteristics include commitment, control, and challenge. These people Can handle stress better and are healthier.

Threat

Stressor you believe that might not be overcome

Learned Helplessness

The belief that one has no control over one's situation based on past experience

Circulatory

The heart and ___________ system are also sensitive to stress

Somatoform Disorders

The set of psychological disorders in which a person displays physical symptoms not fully explained by a medical condition

Biofeedback

The use of an electronic device to obtain information about a bodily function and possibly gain control over that function

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Three-stage physiological stress response that appears, regardless of stressor encountered.

Females tend to seek help under stress where as males are less likely to do so.

What are the gender differences in social support?

Sick Role

A socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness; exemptions and obligations

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.

Environmental Psychology

A subfield of psychology the studies environmental effects on behavior and health.

Relaxation Therapy

A technique for reducing tension by consciously relaxing muscles of the body.

Type A Behavior Pattern

A tendency toward easily aroused hostility, impatience, a sense of time urgency, and competitive achievement strivings.

Social Support

Aid gained through interacting with others. Immediate short term effects such as reduces sensitivity to pain and reduces the time needed to calm down.

Fight-or-Flight Response; Freeze

An emotional and physiological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action. Recently found that this should actually be called fight, flight, or ______ response.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A chronic psychological arousal characterized by recurrent unwanted thoughts or images of the trauma and avoidance of things that call the traumatic event to mind.

Immune System

A complex response system that protects the body from bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances.

Relaxation Response

A condition of reduced muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure

Primary Appraisal

Interpretation of stimulus as stressful or not

Self-Regulation

Involves putting off immediate gratification for longer-term gains

More

Perceived control is ____ important than actual control