Psychology In Your Life; Chapter 11
Fight-or-Flight response
The physiological preparedness of animals to deal with danger
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
A consistent pattern of physical responses to a stress that consists of three stages -Alarm -Resistance -Exhaustion
Health Psychology
A field that integrates research on health and on psychology; it involves the application of psychological principles in promoting health and well-being.
Stress
A group of behavioral, mental, and physical processes occurring when events match or exceed the organism's ability to respond in a healthy way.
Biopsychiosocial Model
A model of health that integrates the effects of biological, behavioral, and social factors on health and illness
Well-being
A positive state that includes striving for optimal health and life satisfaction
Body Mass Index (BMI)
A ratio of body weight to height, used to measure obesity
Problem-focused coping
A type of coping in which people take direct steps to confront or minimize a stressor
Emotion-focused coping
A type of coping in which people try to prevent an emotional response to a stressor.
Binge-eating Disorder
An eating disorder characterized by binge eating, which causes significant distress
Bulimia Nervosa
An eating disorder characterized by dieting, binge eating and purging
Anorexia Nervosa
An eating disorder characterized by excessive fear of becoming fat and therefore restricting energy intake to obtain a significantly low body weight.
Stressor
An environmental event or stimulus that threatens an organism
Daily Hassles
Everyday irritations that cause small disruptions, the effects of which can add up to a large impact on health
Tend-and-befriend response
Female's tendency to respond to stressors by protecting and caring for their offspring and forming social alliances
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Infections that can be, but are not always , transmitted from one person to the next through sexual contact
Major Life Stressors
Large Disruptions, especially unpredictable and uncontrollable catastrophic events, that affect central areas of people's lives.
Restrictive Dieting
Most diets fail primarily because of the body's natural defense against weight loss
Overeating
Most individuals who lose weight through dieting eventually regain it
Primary appraisals
Part of coping that involves making decisions about whether a stimulus is stressful
Type B behavior pattern
Personality traits characterized by being noncompetitive, relaxed, easygoing, and accomodating
Type A behavior pattern
Personality traits characterized by competitiveness, achievement orientation, aggressiveness, hostility, restlessness, impatience with others and an inability to relax.
Stress Responses
Physical, behavioral, and psychological responses to stressors
Safe Sex
Sexual behaviors that decrease the likelihood of contracting an STI
Secondary appraisals
The aspect of coping that involves deciding how to manage and respond to a stressful stimulus
Immune system
The body;s mechanism for dealing with invading microorganisms, such as allergens, bacteria, or viruses
Positive Psychology
The study of the strengths and virtues that allow people and communities to thrive
Negative Stress Responses
When people are stress, they also eat junk food, smoke cigarettes, use drugs, and drink