Psych Final ch14

Predictability and Control

Ability to predict a stressor appears to moderate impact. Control and even the illusion of control can moderate impact. -Internals: people who wish to exercise control over their situations. -Externals: people who do not wish to exercise control over their situations.

Sociocultural Risk FactorsCoronary Heart Disease

Americans -African Americans highest rates of heart attacks. --Less likely to take preventative measures --Less likely to have expensive procedures. -Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans Less likely to have heart attacks compared to European and African Americans. Europeans -French, Spanish, and Portuguese Enjoy the lowest death rates from CHD. Eat low fat diets, high in fruits and vegetables. -Irish, Finnish, and British Suffer most deaths from CHD. Eat high-fat diets; fewer fruits and vegetables.

Psychological Hardiness

Characteristics include: -High in commitment. -High in challenge. -High in perceived control. -High in internal locus of control. More resistant to stress because they choose to face it. Interpret stress as interesting, challenging, not punishing.

Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Biological risks include: -Family history. -Physiological conditions. -A physically inactive lifestyle. -Patterns of consumption. Psychological risk factors: -Type A behavior. -Hostility and holding in feelings of anger. -Job strain. -Chronic fatigue and chronic emotional strain. -Sudden stressors.

Irrational Beliefs

Ellis notes that our beliefs about events as well as the events themselves can be stressors. Ellis's A-B-C approach: -A is the activating event. -C is the consequence. -B is the belief mediating A and C. If the belief of someone who loses a job is to catastrophize the extent of the loss, then anxiety and depression is more likely. Ellis proposes that many of us carry with us irrational beliefs; doorways to distress.

Psychoneuroimmunology

The study of the relationship among: -Psychological factors, -The nervous system, -The endocrine system, -The immune system, and -Disease.

Types of Conflict

--->Approach-approach conflict: -The least stressful type. -Each of two goals is desirable and both are within reach. --->Avoidance-avoidance conflict: -More stressful. -A person is motivated to avoid each of two negative goals. Avoiding one of them requires approaching the other. --->Approach-avoidance conflict: -The same goal produces both approach and avoidance motives. -Pluses and minuses, good points and bad points. --->Multiple approach-avoidance conflict: -Each of several alternative courses of action has pluses and minuses. -Decision making can also be stressful especially when there is no clear correct choice.

Migraines

-Affects 1 in 10 Americans. -53% of people who had migraine headaches showed the Type A behavior pattern, compared with 23% of people who had muscle tension headaches. -Those who catastrophized their symptoms more likely to have impaired daily functioning and lower quality of life.

Cancer

-Characterized by the development of abnormal, or mutant cells that may take root anywhere in the body. -2nd leading cause of death behind heart disease.

The Resistance Stage

-If stressor isn't removed we enter adaptation or resistance stage. -Levels of endocrine and sympathetic activity lower than in alarm reaction but still higher than normal. -The body attempts to restore lost energy and repair bodily damage.

The Exhaustion Stage

-If the stressor isn't diminished we may enter the exhaustion stage. -The body is depleted of the resources required for combating stress. -Muscles become fatigued, heartbeat and respiration slow down. -Resulting diseased of adaptation: Allergies. Hives. Coronary heart disease. Death.

Life Changes

-Require adjustment. -Even positive changes can lead to headaches, high blood pressure, other health problems.

Self-Efficacy

-The ability to make things happen. -Expectations affect our ability to withstand stress. -Bandura and colleagues (1985): High self-efficacy expectations are accompanied by relatively lower levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline in the bloodstream.

Hassles, Life Changes and Health Problems

.Holmes and Rahe (1967) researched this area and developed a scale to measure a person's life change units. -LCU Death of a spouse, lover or child 100 Graduation from college 68 Major personal injury or illness 68 Academic success 54 Vacation 30

Sense of Humor

Feelings of happiness may have beneficial effects on the immune system. Humor can moderate the effects of stress.

Headaches

Headaches are the most common stress-related physical ailments.

Type A Behavior

Highly driven. Competitive. Impatient. Aggressive. Feel rushed and under pressure. Find it difficult to give up control or power.

Psychology and Health

Multifactorial approach: -Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors are involved in health—and illness. Biological factors such as: -Pathogens, inoculations, injuries, age, gender, and a family history of disease. -Genes only create the predisposition toward the health problem. Psychological factors: -Attitudes, emotions, and behavior. --Behaviors include: stopping smoking, eating right, exercising and controlling alcohol use.

Uplifts

Opposite of hassles. Includes: -Pleasant family outings, -Good grades, -Enjoyable TV shows, and -Tasty meals. Researcher studying Israeli Jews and Arabs found that uplifts were related to family satisfaction among both groups and to general life satisfaction among Jews.

Daily Hassles

Regular occurrences, experiences that can threaten or harm our well-being. -Household hassles. -Health hassles. -Time-pressure hassles. -Inner concern hassles. -Environmental hassles. -Financial responsibility hassles. -Work hassles. -Future security hassles. Hassles are linked to nervousness, worrying, inability to get started, feelings of sadness, and feelings of loneliness.

Type B Behavior

Relaxed. More focused on the quality of life. Less ambitious and less impatient.

Social Support

Seems to act as a buffer against the effects of stress. Sources of social support include: -Emotional concern. -Instrumental aid. -Information. -Appraisal. -Socializing.

Stress

Stress is the demand made on an organism to adapt, cope, or adjust. -Some stress is healthful (eustress). -Intense or prolonged stress can harm the body

Health Psychology

Studies relationship between psychological factors, the prevention and treatment of physical health problems

Stress and the Body

The General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye): -The syndrome is a cluster of bodily changes that occur in three stages: --Alarm. --Resistance. --Exhaustion.

The Alarm Reaction

The alarm reaction is triggered by perception of a stressor. -The reaction mobilizes or arouses the body. -This mobilization is basis for instinctive fight-or-flight reaction. Involves bodily changes: -Initiated by the brain, -Regulated by the endocrine system, -And the sympathetic division of the ANS.

Conflict

The feeling of being pulled in two or more directions by opposing motives. Conflict is frustrating and stressful. There are four types of conflicts: -Approach-approach. -Avoidance-avoidance. -Approach-avoidance. -Multiple approach-avoidance.

Stress and the Immune System

The immune system has several functions that combat disease. -Production of white blood cells (leukocytes). --They recognize and eradicate foreign agents and unhealthy cells. -Foreign substances are called antigens. --The body generates specialized proteins or antibodies to fight antigens. -Inflammation: --This is increased blood supply which floods the region with white blood cells. One of the reasons stress exhausts us is that it stimulates the production of steroids.