PSYC chapter 13
conflict
a situation in which a person feels pulled between two or more opposing desires, motives, or goals
pessimistic explanatory style
accounting for negative events or situation with internal, stable and global explanations
optimistic explanatory style
accounting for negative events or situations with external, unstable and specific explanations
Robert Ader
american psychologist who first demonstrated that immune system responses could be classically conditioned; helped establish the new interdisciplinary field of psychoneuroimmunology
psychoneuroimmunology
an interdisciplinary field that studies the interconnections among psychological process, nervous and endocrine system functions, and the immune system
escape-avoidance
emotion focused coping strategy in which the person shifts his or her attention away from the stressor and towards other activites
stressors
events or situations that are perceived as harmful, threatening, or challenging
daily hassles
everyday minor events that annoy and upset people
corticosteroids
hormones released by the adrenal cortex that play a key role in the body's response to long-term stressors
catecholamines
hormones secreted by the adrenal medulla that cause rapid physiological arousal; include adrenaline and noradrenaline
planful problem solving
problem-focused coping strategy in which the person relies on aggressive or risky efforts to change the situation
lymphocytes
specialized white blood cells that are responsible for immune defenses
biopsychosocial model
the belief that physical health and illness are determined by the complex interaction of biologica, psychological, and social factors
health psychology
the branch of psychology that studies how biological, behavioral, and social factors influence health, illness, and medical treatment, and health-related behaviors
social support
the resources provided by other people in times of need
acculturative stress
the stress that results from the pressure of adapting to a new culture
stress
a negative emotional state occurring in response to events that are perceived as taxing or exceeding a person's resources or ability to cope
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser
American psychologist who conducted extensive research on the effect of stress on the immune system
Martin Seligmen
American psychologist who conducted research on explanatory style and the role it plays in stress, health and illness
Richard Lazarus
American psychologist who helped promote the cognitive perspective in the study of stress and coping; emphasized the importance of cognitie appraisal in the stress response
Walter Cannon
American psychologist who made several important contributions to psycholog, especially in the study of emotions; he described the fight-or-flight response, which involves the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system
general adaptation syndrome
Selye's term for the three-stage progression of physical changes the occur when an organism is exposed to intense and prolonged stress. The three stages are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
fight or flight response
a rapidly occurring chain of internal physical reactions that prepare people either to fight or take flight form an immediate threat
Type A behavior pattern
a behavioral and emotional style characterized by a sense of time urgency, hostility, and competitiveness
Hans Selye
Canadian endocrinologist who was a pioneer in stress research; described a three-stage response to prolonged stress that he called the general adaption syndrome
coping
behavioral and cognitive responses used to deal with stressors; involves our efforts to change circumstances, or our interpretation of circumstances, to make them more favorable and less threatening
immune system
body system that produces specialized white blood cells that protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and tumor cells
problem focused coping
coping efforts primarily aimed at directly changing or managing a threatening or harmful stressor
emotion focused coping
coping efforts primarily aimed at relieving or regulating the emotional impact of a stressful situation