Psych Chapter 11
Realism
A 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be
adaptation level phenomenon
Our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience
Exhaustion phase
The final phase of the response-based stress model, which occurs if the resistance phase is unsuccessful; during this phase, the body either rests and recovers, or death occurs.
Learned helplessness
The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.
Stress
The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.
Catastrophes
Unpredictable large-scale events that include wars, earthquakes, and famines
Health psychology
a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine.
Pessimistic
a tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable.
Promoting health
address the stressors, soothe emotions, increase one's sense of control over stressors, exchange optimism for pessimism, get social support.
Reducing stress
aerobic exercise, relaxation and meditation, participation in communities of faith alternative medicine
Pessimism
belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess
Stress and AIDS
exposure to stress obviously worsens the development of AIDS in those exposed to HIV and reducing stress slows the progression of AIDS.
Stress and common cold
tradeoff between stress response and immune response may help our bodies focus energy on managing stress instead of fighting the cold
Daily hassles
Everyday minor events that annoy and upset people, rush-hour traffic, aggravating housemates, long lines at the store
Type A personality
Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
Type B personality
Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people.
Depression
A prolonged feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and sadness
Problem-focused coping
Attempting to alleviate stress directly by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor.
General adaptation syndrome
Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases - alarm, resistance, exhaustion
Coping
alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods
Stressor
an event or condition which we view as threatening, challenging, or overwhelming.
Stress reaction
any emotional and physical responses to the stressor such as rapid heartbeat, elevated cortisol levels, and crying
Emotion-focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction
Appraisal
deciding whether to view something as a stressor
Stress and cancer
stress may weaken the body's defenses against the replication and spread of malignant cells
Optimistic
hopeful and confident about the future
Benefits of brief experience of stress
improves immune system response, motivates action, focusing priorities, feeling engaged, energized, and satisfied, provides challenges that encourage growth, knowledge, and self esteem
Significant life changes
life transitions-leaving home, becoming divorced, losing a job, having a loved one die. Doesn't have to be negative, getting married causes stress
Harmful effects of prolonged stress
mental and physical coping systems become overwhelmed and defeated rather than strengthened and immune functioning and other health factors decline because of damage
Stress and heart disease
the blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle itself become clogged, narrowed, and closed. Stress causes cholesterol and clotting measures to increase
Alarm phase
the first phase of the GAS, in which a stressor is perceived and the fight-or-flight response is activated
External locus of control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.
Relative deprivation
the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself
Internal locus of control
the perception that you control your own fate
Positive psychology
the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
Resistance phase
the second phase of the GAS, your temperature, blood pressure, and respiration remain high. Adrenal glands pump hormones into your bloodstream. Fully engaged, make all your resources meet the challenge
Psychoneuroimmunology
the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health