Chapter 3

approach avoidance conflict?

A choice must be made about whether to pursue a single goal that has both attractive and unattractive consequences.

genreal adaptation syndrome

A model of the body's stress response - three stages 1 - alarm 2 - resistance 3 - exhaustion

true or false - the events of 9/11 elicited only negative emotional responses

FALSE - many people felt gratitude for the safety of their loved ones and reported renewed love for their friends and family.

True or false: minor stressors produce minor effects on people physical and mental health

FALSE. - this is not always the case, as many daily hassels (money, work, school) can have significant negative impacts on one's health.

The social readjustment rating scale (SRRS) - how does this work

SRRS indicates many life events that have a mean score associated with them which reflects the magnitude of the readjustment required. respondents indicate how often they experience these events and the total score is summed and provide an index of the amount of change related stress on experienced.

Exposure to violence, whether as a victim or witness is linked to emotional distress. what is one explanation provided for how these are linked?

Stress is associated with the experience of community violence.

approach approach conflict?

a choice must be made between two attractive goals.

avoidance avoidance conflict? These are often the most unpleasant and highly stressful - what do people end up doing here?

a choice must be made between two unattractive goals. delaying their decision as long as possible hoping they will be able to escape the conflict situation

Coping

active efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the demands created by stress

the long lasting effects of stress are called ________

adaptation outcomes

the most frequently reported symptom of stress is _____

annoyance or anger.

what type of stressor is unique to humans? define

anticipatory stressors - upcoming or future events that are perceived to be threatening.

High occurrences of pressure at school or work and be linked to (2) psychological problems, and escape behaviours like ______

anxiety and depression drinking.

life changes

any alteration in one's living circumstances that require readjustment.

how does the text define stress?

any circumstance that threatens or is perceived to threaten ones well being and tax one's coping abilities.

the use of the term psychosomatic diseases has begun to decline recently - why?

because it has been found that stress and other psychological factors can also contribute to the development of other illnesses previously thought to be physiological in origin

The fight or flight response was probably very adaptive in ancestral times, but in modern society, stress cannot be handled simply via fight or flight - why?

because many modern stressors are chronic in nature and this would leave us in a prolonged state of physiological arousal which would be very taxing for the body.

why is it hard to isolate the effects of stress on the development of certain illnesses?

because stress can lead one to engage in risky behaviours (smoking or drinking) that also contribute to the development of health hazards.

why would positive life events (getting married, having a kid) generate stress?

because they produce change - disrupt daily routine.

the second pathway signals take through the endocrine system - this involves more direct communication between the _____ and the ______ - the ________ sends signals to the master gland of the endocrine system - __________. - the _____ gland secretes the hormone ______ which stimulates the _______ to release ______. what do these do? (2)

brain and endocrine system hypothalamus pituitary gland x2 ACTH - adrenal cortex - corticosteroids - increase energy available for your body and inhibit tissue inflammation in the case of injury.

Common wisdom is that burnout occurs because of some flaw in the individual, but modern research tells us that ________

burnout is rather a function of the situation than it is of the person.

acculturation? what influences the amount of acculturation stress reported by immigrants?

changing to adapt to a new culture. what they expected before immigrating and what they actually experience.

the autonomic nervous system is made up of nerves that connect to (4)? what does it control?

heart glands blood vessels smooth muscle. usually controls involuntary functions we don't usually consciously think of.

The endocrine system releases hormones that travel via two pathways - the __________ initiates action along both pathways

hypothalamus

The first pathway signals take through the endocrine system - the __________ activates the ________ division of the ANS - this activation involves stimulating the ______ to release ______ into the bloodstream. This tells the body to mobilize for action. what are some changes that occur?

hypothalamus sympathetic adrenal medulla catecholamines into the bloodstream Heart and respiratory rate increase, blood flow increases, oxygen consumption increases.

Selye's theory has been criticized for _________

ignoring individual differences.

Children can also suffer from PTSD - how are their symptoms typically manifested?

in their play or drawings.

explain the link between poverty and impact of environmental stress?

individuals from lower SES homes tend to have higher levels of stress hormones circulating than their higher income peers.

what is one reason why minor hassles tend to be taxing on mental health?

minor stressful events can have a cumulative impact. individually, they are quite weak in their impact, but collectively, they can cause great strain.

what are the top 3 reported causes of stress?

money work economy

the autonomic nervous system has two main divisions - ?

sympathetic nervous system - mobilizes the body for fight or flight parasympathetic nervous system - rest and digest

Burnout

syndrome involving physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and lowered sense of self efficacy that is attributable to work related stress.

the inverted U hypothesis?

task performance should improve with increased emotional arousal up to a point, after which further increases in arousal become disruptive and performance decreases.

what is one major criticism of the SRRS?

the SRRS is dominated by evens that are clearly negative and thus doesn't measure change exclusively.

Primary appraisal is the initial evaluation of whether an event is 1 ______________ 2. ____________ 3 _____________

the initial evaluation of whether an event is 1 - irrelevent 2 - relevant but not threatening 3 - relevant and stressful.

optimal level of arousal? what does this depend on? describe the relation

the level of arousal at which performance peaks the complexity of the task as the task becomes more complex, the optimal level of arousal tends to decrease

basic neuroendocrine responses to stress is _______ for both males and females.

the same

ambient stress? what are some examples of this? Exposure to high levels of ambient stressors can result in ________ blood pressure and have other negative consequences

these are chronic environmental conditions that don't have any urgency associated with them, but do place adaptive demands on people and are negatively valued. noise pollution or chemical pollution. elevated

emotional responses to stressful events are normal - even unpleasant emotions serve important purposes - can you think how? Strong emotional arousal as a consequence of stress can be detrimental to cognitive processes

they serve as a reminder that action needs to be pursued.

In secondary appraisal, you are evaluating (2) things. when does this occur? does secondary appraisal always lead to stress response

this is an evaluation of the coping resources and options for dealing with stress. this occurs after an event is initially perceived to be threatening. no, should you judge that you have adequate coping resources to deal with the distressing event.

chronic stressors

threatening events that have long duration and no readily apparent time limit.

acute stressors

threatening events that have short duration and a clear end point

what is the goal of positive psychology movement?

to shift the focus away from negative experiences towards those forces that make life worth living.

when is a diagnosis for PTSD applicable?

when negative reactions to stress persist and/or interfere with one's social functioning.

internal conflict?

when two or more incompatible motivations or behavioural impulses compete for expression

which sex is twice as likely to experience PTSD

women

are some people more or less likely to make negative interpretations of life's difficulties? provide proof?

yes - anxious and neurotic people are more likely to appraise a distressing event as threatening and are more likely to associate more negative emotions with stress.

stress can elicit negative emotions like - anxiety and fear - dejection, sadness, and grief

...

describe the 3 stages of the general adaptation syndrome

1 - Alarm - the organism recognizes the existence of a threat and becomes physiologically aroused. 2 - Resistance - the stress continues as physiological changes begin to stabilize as coping efforts kick in. arousal is still above normal. 3 - exhaustion - if the stress cannot be overcome, the body's resources become depleted and physiological arousal decreases. the organism may collapse due to exhaustion and resistance declines.

what are 3 ways in which stress can have positive effects?

1 - dealing with stress provides us with an opportunity to grow and develop unique skills that make us stronger mentally and emotionally 2 - stressful events help satisfy the need for stimulation and challenge. 3 - dealing with present stress helps us better prepare for future stress. Increased stress tolerance.

Pressure to perform well on a task can disrupt attention in two ways - what are these 2 ways?

1 - elevated self consciousness diverts attention away from the task at hand 2 - Pressure to do well on a well-learned task induces self consciousness which can result in a person focussing to much attention on the task.

we can analyze peoples reactions to stress at three levels - what are these levels?

1 - emotional 2 - physiological 3 - behavioural

what are 3 common physiological responses with test anxiety or even moderate stress in general?

1 - increased heart rate 2 - increased respiratory rate 3 - increased bp

older models that define stress do so in two ways - what are they? what do contemporary researchers suggest?

1 - stress can be a stimulus event that presents difficult demands 2 - stress can be viewed as the response of physiological arousal elicited by a troublesome event Contemporary research suggests that stress is neither of these things alone, but rather a stimulus-response transaction.

Stress can result in disruptions of cognitive functioning which leads to disruptions in two specific aspects of attention - what are these?

1 - stress increased participants tendency to jump to conclusions without considering all available options 2 - stress increased the tendency to do a poorly organized review of their available options

Stress can result in everyday psychological problems and full fledged psych disorders. one such disorder is PTSD - what is this?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - enduring psychological disturbance attributed to the experience of a major traumatic event.

It has been determined that one's susceptibility to developing PTSD following a stressful experience is tied to both biological and environmental factors - what is one key predictor?

The intensity of the reaction at the time of the traumatic event.

_________ levels in the blood is an indicator of stress in humans

cortisol

_________ is a major source of environmental stress, even if it is temporary such as being stuck on a packed bus or elevator. This can result in 3 things - (BIO/Psyc/SOC)

crowding 1 - increased physiological arousal 2 - psychological distress 3 - increased social withdrawal.

how is stress influenced by culture? (2)

culture sets the context in which people appraise and experience stress.

Stress tends to elicit unpleasant emotions like _____ and ______. emotional responses to stress seem to transcend time and culture - what does this mean?

depression anxiety They are consistent across time and different cultures.

consistent with impaired attentional control during pressure to perform well on a task, fMRI scans reveal what support in brain structure?

diminished activity in the prefrontal cortex.

Test anxiety illustrates how _______. how is this achieved?

emotional arousal can impair test performance. this is achieved through worrying about how other's are doing.

pressure? what are the two subtypes of this source of stress?

expectations or demands that one behave in a certain way. 1 - the pressure to perform 2 - the pressure to conform.

Pressure can be both _____ and ______ motivated

externally and internally.

true or false: only major stressors can result in deficits to memory?

false - even minor stressors and anticipatory stressors can have negative impacts.

researchers have questioned whether fight or flight applies equally to males and females - what is the reasoning here?

fight or flight is less adaptive in females since they mainly have responsibility in caring for offspring. Thus, females engage in more tend and befriend type behaviour when confronted with a threat.

describe the correlation between frequency of positive/negative emotions and resilience.

frequency of positive emotions is positively correlated with resilience. Frequency of negative emotions is negatively correlated with resilience.

Daily hassles that evoke _________, are most related to stress. what elicits these? what can we thus conclude?

negative emotions. perceiving a situation as threatening can elicit these negative emotions. therefore, the impact of a daily hassle largely depends on our interpretation of the event.

are major and minor stressors independent? why?

no they are not. this is because major stressors can lead to the onset of minor stressors.

are there any one-to-one connections between certain types of stressful events and particular emotions? what do we know?

no, but there are links between specific cognitive reactions to stress and certain emotions.

Does PTSD have to arise immediately following experience of the stressful event?

no, symptoms can surface months or even years following the event.

is there a fine line between acute and chronic stressors? why?

not really, since even brief stressors can have long lasting effects

frustration? These can be routine things like ______ (examples) Frustration often leads to what response? the 2 most stressful frustrations are ____ and ____

occurs in any situation where the pursuit of some goal is thwarted. beings stuck in traffic or dealing with ******** agression failures and losses

in the study between stressful life events and physical illness, what did the researchers find?

participants would report both negative AND positive life events that generated stress prior to the onset of their illness.

what can act as a buffer to the stress induced by daily hassles?

personal characteristics such as resilience and optimism.

psychosomatic diseases?

physical ailments that are thought to arise due to stress or other psychological factors.

fight or flight response? what are some common physiological changes - why does this occur?

physiological reaction to threat that mobilizes an organism for attacking or fleeing from an enemy. - increased bp and respiration - decreased digestion - these are evolutionary advantageous responses.

emotions

powerful, largely uncontrollable feelings, accompanied by physiological changes.

although overt racial discrimination in America has declined in recent decades, covert expressions of ethnic prejudice continue to be commonplace - examples?

racial slurs, negative evaluations, denial of equal treatment.

hat are some common symptoms of PTSD?

re-experiencing the traumatic event in the form of nightmares or flashbacks, emotional numbing, alienation.

Stress can result in impaired task performance because pressure to do well makes people __________. elevated _________ disrupts ______ thereby interfering with performance

self conscious self consciousness attention

Hans Selye concluded that stress reactions are nonspecific - what did he mean?

stress reactions do not vary according to the specific type of circumstances encountered.

do people tend to be more objective or subjective WRT their appraisals of potentially stressful events?

subjective.