Psychology Chapter 14 stress

__________ is stress-reduction technique whereby electronic equipment measuring a person's involuntary (neuromuscular and autonomic) activity helps him gain a level of voluntary control over these processes.

Biofeedback

_____ is the kind of stress associated with positive feelings, as well as optimal health and performance

Eustress

Were cardiology patients somehow different than other types of patients? If so, how?

In the 1950s, cardiologist Meyer Friedman was looking over his waiting room furniture, which consisted of upholstered chairs with armrests. Friedman decided to have these chairs reupholstered. When the man doing the reupholstering came to the office to do the work, he commented on how the chairs were worn in a unique manner—the front edges of the cushions were worn down, as were the front tips of the arm rests. It seemed like the cardiology patients were tapping or squeezing the front of the armrests, as well as literally sitting on the edge of their seats (Friedman & Rosenman, 1974). Were cardiology patients somehow different than other types of patients? If so, how?

Extensive research over the years has examined this question. about happiness and found

One finding is that age is related to happiness: Life satisfaction usually increases the older people get, but there do not appear to be gender differences in happiness Family and other social relationships appear to be key factors correlated with happiness. Studies show that married people report being happier than those who are single, divorced, or widowed

Biofeedback

The process of learning to control bodily states by monitoring the states to be controlled

Some of the more dramatic examples demonstrating the link between stress and impaired immune function involve studies in which volunteers were exposed to viruses.

The rationale behind this research is that because stress weakens the immune system, people with high stress levels should be more likely to develop an illness compared to those under little stress.

Type A behavior pattern:

These individuals tend to be intensively driven workaholics who are preoccupied with deadlines and always seem to be in a rush.

Naomi seems to live by the "don't sweat the small stuff" concept. She is relaxed laid back and never seems to concerned about meeting deadlines or finishing a to-do list. noomi has a _____ personality

Type B

Questions about happiness

What really makes people happy? What factors contribute to sustained joy and contentment? Is it money, attractiveness, material possessions, a rewarding occupation, a satisfying relationship? •Can money buy happiness? •What about education and employment? •Does religiosity correlate with happiness?

what is happiness?

When asked to define the term, people emphasize different aspects of this elusive state. Indeed, happiness is somewhat ambiguous and can be defined from different perspectives (Martin, 2012).

People who reach the level of distress feel

burned out; they are fatigued, exhausted, and their performance begins to decline. If the stress remains excessive, health may begin to erode as well (Everly & Lating, 2002).

Stressors can be:

chronic (long term) acute (short term)

________ is the kind of stress that exceeds the optimal level, is no longer a positive force, and becomes excessive and debilitating.

distress

Another technique to combat stress, biofeedback, was developed by Gary Schwartz at Harvard University in the early 1970s. Biofeedback is a technique that uses

electronic equipment to accurately measure a person's neuromuscular and autonomic activity—feedback is provided in the form of visual or auditory signals

For an individual to experience stress, he/she must first

encounter a potential stressor.

Acute stressors

involve brief focal events that sometimes continue to be experienced as overwhelming well after the event has ended, such as falling on an icy sidewalk and breaking your leg

What is stress?

is a process whereby an individual perceives and responds to events appraised as overwhelming or threatening to one's well-being.

Seligman's learned helplessness model has emerged over the years as a

leading theoretical explanation for the onset of major depressive disorder. When you study psychological disorders, you will learn more about the latest reformulation of this model—now called hopelessness theory

Many potential stressors include events or situations that require us to

make changes in our lives, such as a divorce or moving to a new residence.

Some jobs are

more stressful then others

Stress can

motivate us to do things in our best interests, such as study for exams, visit the doctor regularly, exercise, and perform to the best of our ability at work.

indeed, Selye (1974) pointed out that

not all stress is harmful. He argued that stress can sometimes be a positive, motivating force that can improve the quality of our lives. This kind of stress, which Selye called eustress (from the Greek eu = "good"), is a good kind of stress associated with positive feelings, optimal health, and performance.

Chronic stressors include events that

persists over an extended period of time

example of stressful jobs

police officer, firefighter, nurse

Which kind of psychology seeks to identify and promote those qualities that lead to happy, fulfilled, and contented lives?

positive psychology

Keegan is a police officer. She was recently placed on administrative leave because she was shot during an armed robbery. Since the shooting, she can't stop thinking about how it felt to be shot, she is often angry with her husband, she jumps when she hears a loud noise, and she takes a 15 minute detour when driving home to avoid the neighborhood where it happened. Keegan probably suffers from ________.

post traumatic stress disorder

In their literature review, Brondolo, Brady, Pencille, Beatty, and Contrada (2009) describe how

racial prejudice and discrimination serve as unique, significant stressors for those who are the targets of such attitudes and behavior. Being the target of racism is associated with increased rates of depression, lowered self-esteem, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

The average person in the world tends to be

relatively happy and tends to indicate experiencing more positive feelings than negative feelings.

After reviewing and statistically summarizing 35 studies from 1983 to 2006, Chida and Steptoe (2009) concluded that the bulk of the evidence suggests that anger and hostility constitute

serious long-term risk factors for adverse cardiovascular outcomes among both healthy individuals and those already suffering from heart disease.

A demanding or threatening event is often called a(n) ________.

stressor

Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed

the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) to measure stress by assigning a number of life change units to life events that typically require some adjustment, including positive events.

which of the following is a negative effect of extended cortisol release caused by chronic or prolonged stress

the immune system is weakened

fter researching this matter, Friedman and his colleague, Ray Rosenman, came to understand that people who are prone to heart disease tend to

think, feel, and act differently than those who are not.

Type B behavior pattern:

those who are more relaxed and laid-back

acute stressors

threatening events that have a relatively short duration and a clear endpoint

which of the following is an example of eustress

training for a marathon

What is distress (from the Latin dis = "bad").

when stress exceeds this optimal level, it is no longer a positive force—it becomes excessive and debilitating, or what Selye termed as

What is health psychology?

•a field devoted to studying the general impact of psychological factors on health. •The scientific study of how stress and emotional factors impact health and well-being

Which of the following is an example of a stressor

being in a car accident

While having social support is quite beneficial,

being the recipient of prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors is associated with a number of negative outcomes.

Stress reduction techniques may include

(a) exercise, (b)meditation and relaxation, (c) biofeedback

examples of chronic stressors

-caring for a parent with dementia -long-term unemployment -imprisonment

According to the Holmes and Rahe scale, which life event requires the greatest amount of readjustment? marriage personal illness divorce death of spouse

?

happiness by country

When asked to evaluate their current lives on a scale ranging from 0 to 10 (with 0 representing "worst possible life" and 10 representing "best possible life"), people in more than 150 countries surveyed from 2010-2012 reported an average score of 5.2. People who live in North America, Australia, and New Zealand reported the highest average score at 7.1, whereas those living Sub-Saharan Africa reported the lowest average score at 4.6 (Helliwell, Layard, & Sachs, 2013). Worldwide, the five happiest countries are Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden; the United States is ranked 17th happiest

LEARNED HELPLESSNESS

When we lack a sense of control over the events in our lives, particularly when those events are threatening, harmful, or noxious, the psychological consequences can be profound. In one of the better illustrations of this concept, psychologist Martin Seligman conducted a series of classic experiments in the 1960s (Seligman & Maier, 1967) in which dogs were placed in a chamber where they received electric shocks from which they could not escape. Later, when these dogs were given the opportunity to escape the shocks by jumping across a partition, most failed to even try; they seemed to just give up and passively accept any shocks the experimenters chose to administer. In comparison, dogs who were previously allowed to escape the shocks tended to jump the partition and escape the pain (Figure).