Psychology Module 39. Stress and Illness

Sandy is a human resources director for a chain of fast-food restaurants. When interviewing perspective employees, Sandy is known to finish their sentences and to be very short with them if they do not quickly finish a sentence. According to Friedman, Rosenman, and colleagues, Sandy is a Type _____ personality.

A

Type _____ personalities direct their negative emotion toward dominating others.

A

A month ago, Jason lost his job due to circumstances beyond his control, and now he is very concerned about his financial situation. Since then, he has learned that his wife will not be able to return to the United States because she cannot get her "green card," and that his rent-controlled apartment is being sold and he will have to find another place to live. Given what happens when people feel unable to control their environment, which of the following do you think is happening to Jason?

His immune response is dropping.

Type C personalities

Internalize feelings, want everyone to get along, avoid conflict strongly associated with cancer.

Epinephrine

Neurotransmitter secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress. Also known as adrenaline.

alarm stage

The first stage of the general adaptation syndrome, in which the person experiences a burst of energy that aids in dealing with the stressful situation.

resistance stage

The second stage of the general adaptation syndrome, when there are intense physiological efforts to either resist or adapt to the stressor.

exhaustion stage

The third stage of the general adaptation syndrome, which occurs if the organism fails in its efforts to resist the stressor.

Abdul has just discovered his term paper is due tomorrow when he thought it was due next week. According to Hans Selye, Abdul will likely be experiencing the ______ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

alarm

Brendan must give an oral presentation in 10 minutes at the start of his class. In response to this "threat":

bloodflow increases to Brendan's muscles.

Walter Cannon postulated that the stress response prepared the body for:

fight or flight

In response to various stressors, the sympathetic nervous system increases your

heart rate and respiration.

Type D personality

people who experience emotions that include anxiety, irritation, and depressed mood

Irwin lived through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Throughout the duration of the life-changing event, Irwin experienced intense distress. Such a response to catastrophes is:

typical

Although fear can have negative consequences, it can also be adaptive. Which of the following is NOT an example of an adaptive fear response?

Fear of acceptance can constrain us from harming one another.

appraisal stage

First opportunity in which a person's belief systems, past experience, and personality determine if a specific situation will be successful

Which of these people is the BEST example of a Type A personality? Andre, a competitive, easily-angered journalist Clay, a reflective, open-minded artist Susan, a brilliant, self-confident accountant Bonnie, a relaxed, fun-loving professor

Andre, a competitive, easily-angered journalist

Marcus is going through a particularly difficult time because of work-related stress, his parents' health problems, impending final exams, and term paper deadlines. Marcus has a history of not dealing well with stress. The continuous stress is likely to cause all of these EXCEPT: A. cause the blister on Marcus' foot to heal more slowly than normal. B. cause Marcus to develop cancer. C. weaken Marcus' resistance to a bad cold. D. alter Marcus' immune system so he does not fight off disease as well.

B. cause Marcus to develop cancer.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Seyle's concept that the body responds to stress with alarm, resistance and exhaustion

Maggie just started her fourth year of medical school and is an avid cyclist. During her summer off medical school, she had a bike accident that produced a large contusion on her knee. If Maggie had the same accident during finals week, what would be expected to happen?

She would heal more slowly than in the summer.

Type A personalities

competitive, impatient and more prone to aggression and hostility

One way to predict whether a person will have a future heart attack is to pluck a hair and measure its level of a hormone called _____.

cortisol

John has just finished a brutal military tour against opposing forces. He lost a number of his friends but was able to fight on despite the death around him. The two stress hormones at play in his system are:

cortisol and epinephrine.

Getting divorced, being arrested, failing out of college, and losing a job are examples of stressors called significant _____.

life changes

Type B personalities

more relaxed, easy going and less quick to anger

The second phase of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) is characterized by:

resistance

The process of appraising an event as threatening or challenging is called _____.

stress

A woman alone in a house ignores the creaking sounds she hears and experiences no stress. Another woman might hear the same sounds, suspect an intruder, and become alarmed. These different reactions illustrate the importance of:

stress appraisal

Cortisol

stress hormone

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging