Psych- Chpt 14 Stress, Lifestyle, and Health
The saying is "Money can buy happiness", but research finds that in the United States those who earn more than ________ per year are not measurably happier than those who earn below that amount.
$75,000
eustress
A positive stress that energizes a person and helps a person reach a goal; associated with positive feelings, as well as optimal health and performance
Which of the following is an example of a stimulus-based definition of stress? Caroline experiences stress because she is home alone and hears unusual noises outside. Laura experiences stress because she gasped and had difficulty breathing when she saw a spider. Carrie experiences stress because she notices her car is almost out of gas and worries about being stranded on the highway, but then she feels better when she sees a gas station nearby. Grace experiences stress when she notices her heartbeat increasing in response to being separated from her parents at the amusement park.
Caroline experiences stress because she is home alone and hears unusual noises outside
Which of the following is an example of a primary appraisal of a stressor? Humphrey judges the man with the gun to be a moderate threat. Sophia decides to get a divorce because her husband is cheating on her. Ava decides to quit her job because her employer is so unpleasant. Mekhi weighs his options on dealing with the bully who is harassing him.
Humphrey judges the man with the gun to be a moderate threat
What do studies show about the relationship between stress and memory?
Moderate stress can enhance both immediate and delayed recall of educational material
general adaptation syndrome
Seyle's concept that the body responds to stress with alarm, resistance and exhaustion
According to three separate surveys, administered in 1983, 2006, and 2009, which statement about the relationship between stress and sex is the most accurate?
Women report experiencing more stress than men.
Which aspect of the definition of happiness gives the impression that it is a long-term state rather than a brief mood that we experience from time to time?
a feeling that one's life has meaning and value
fight-or-flight response
a series of physiological reactions to a stressor designed to enable the body to stand and fight or to flee; reactions that are produced by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system
Which dimension of the Type A behavior pattern is most predictive of heart disease?
anger/hostility
Alma has a serious disease in which the airways of her respiratory system become obstructed, leading to great difficulty expelling air from the lungs. Which disease does Alma have?
asthma
Hans Selye's definition of stress is considered a response-based definition because it conceptualizes stress chiefly in terms of the ________.
body's physiological reaction to any demand that is placed on it
Which of the following is an example of eustress?
buying a new home; running a marathon
Which term refers to mental or behavioral efforts used to manage problems relating to stress, including the cause and the unpleasant feelings and emotions it produces?
coping
Doug is an emergency room nurse in a large, underfunded, public hospital. Lately, he finds himself assuming that the patients he sees are just trying to get free drugs to feed an addiction. Just yesterday a little boy was brought in with a broken arm, and Doug found that he was completely indifferent to the boy's pain. What aspect of job burnout does this exemplify?
dimension 2- depersonalization
cardiovascular disorders
disorders that involve the heart and blood circulation system
happiness
enduring state of mind consisting of joy, contentment, and other positive emotions; the sense that one's life has meaning and value
stressors
environmental events that may be judged as threatening or demanding; stimuli that initiate the stress process
psychoneuroimmunology
field that studies how psychological factors (such as stress) influence the immune system and immune functioning
Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease because it ________.
forces the heart to pump harder, which puts more physical strain on the heart
The process by which one's physiological defense system becomes less efficient at fighting illness is called ________ and this process is enhanced by elevated stress levels.
immunosuppression
primary appraisal
judgement about the degree of potential harm or threat to well-being that a stressor might entail
White blood cells that circulate in the bloodstream and are an important part of the body's immune system are called ________.
lymphocytes
coping
mental or behavioral efforts used to manage problems relating to stress, including its cause and the unpleasant feelings and emotions it produces
daily hassles
minor irritations and annoyances that are part of our everyday lives and are capable of producing stress
perceived control
peoples' beliefs concerning their capacity to influence and shape outcomes in their lives
Developing stomach ulcers during a prolonged period of stress exemplifies how stress can have a negative ________ impact.
physiological
Social Readjustment Rating Scale
popular scale designed to measure stress; consists of 43 potentially stressful events, each of which has a numerical value quantifying how much readjustment is associated with the event
Brizan has just lost his job. He is proactive in trying to resolve this source of stress; he immediately uses the internet to look up other jobs in his field and plans to eliminate non-essentials from his budget to make his savings last longer. Which type of coping approach is Brizan using?
problem-focused
Type B
psychological and behavior pattern exhibited by a person who is relaxed and laid back
Type A
psychological and behavior pattern exhibited by individuals who tend to be extremely competitive, impatient, rushed, and hostile toward others
asthma
psychophysiological disorder in which the airways of the respiratory system become obstructed, leading to great difficulty expelling air from the lungs
stage of resistance
second stage of the general adaptation syndrome; the body adapts to a stressor for a period of time
flow
state involving intense engagement in an activity; usually is experienced when participating in creative, work, and leisure endeavors
positive affect
state or a trait that involves pleasurable engagement with the environment, the dimensions of which include happiness, joy, enthusiasm, alertness, and excitement
cortisol
stress hormone released by the adrenal glands when encountering a stressor; helps to provide a boost of energy, thereby preparing the individual to take action
relaxation response technique
stress reduction technique combining elements of relaxation and meditation
health psychology
subfield of psychology devoted to studying psychological influences on health, illness, and how people respond when they become ill
negative affectivity
tendency to experience negative emotions and moods, feel distressed, and be critical of oneself and others (anger, contempt, disgust, guilt, fear, and nervousness)
optimism
tendency toward a positive outlook and positive expectations
The relaxation response technique is a stress reduction technique that combines elements of relaxation and ________.
transcendental meditation
immune system
various structures, cells, and mechanisms that protect the body from foreign substances that can damage the body's tissues and organs
lymphocytes
white blood cells that circulate in the body's fluids and are especially important in the body's immune response
job strain
work situation involving the combination of excessive job demands and workload with little decision making latitude or job control
social support
soothing and often beneficial support of others; can take different forms, such as advice, guidance, encouragement, acceptance, emotional comfort, and tangible assistance
stage of exhaustion
Third stage of the GAS (general adaptation syndrome), during which the body depletes its resources in responding to an ongoing stressor.; illness, disease, and even death may occur
distress
bad form of stress; usually high in intensity; often leads to exhaustion, fatigue, feeling burned out; associated with erosions in performance and health
hypertension
high blood pressure
heart disease
several types of adverse heart conditions, including those that involve the heart's arteries or valves or those involving the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs; can include heart attack and stroke
stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging to one's wellbeing
positive psychology
the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
biofeedback
the use of an external monitoring device to obtain information about a bodily function and possibly gain control over that function
Lamont cares for his aging father, who suffers from dementia. This is an example of a(n) ________ stressor.
chronic
What was the most stressful event found on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale with a LCU score of 100?
death of a spouse
immunosuppression
decreased effectiveness of the immune system
alarm reaction
first stage of the general adaptation syndrome; characterized as the body's immediate physiological reaction to a threatening situation or some other emergency; analogous to the fight-or-flight response
job burnout
general sense of emotional exhaustion and cynicism in relation to one's job; consists of three dimensions: exhaustion, depersonalization, and sense of diminished personal accomplishment
secondary appraisal
perceptions regarding our ability to cope with an event that follows primary appraisal
psychophysiological disorders
physical disorders or diseases in which symptoms are brought about or worsened by stress and emotional factors
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
set of structures found in both the limbic system (hypothalamus) and the endocrine system (pituitary gland and adrenal glands) that regulate many of the body's physiological reactions to stress through the release of hormones
