Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 21: Health, Stress & Coping Module 21...

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 21: Health, Stress & Coping

Module 21

Health, Stress & Coping


APPRAISAL

• Primary appraisals– refers to our initial, subjective evaluation of a

situation, in which we balance the demands of a potentially stressful situation against our ability to meet these demands

– Three different primary appraisals• irrelevant: mostly nonstressful• positive: mostly nonstressful because it makes

you feel good• stressful: overtaxes your emotional and

psychological recourses


APPRAISAL (CONT.)

• Primary appraisals– Harm/loss

• means that you have already sustained some damage or injury

• elicits negative emotions, such as fear, depression, fright, and anxiety

• feel stressed• more stressful, the more overwhelming

the situation will seem


APPRAISAL (CONT.)

• Primary appraisals– Threat

• means that the harm/loss has not yet taken place but you know it will happen in the near future

• elicits negative emotions, such as fear, anxiety, and anger

• event or situation seems especially stressful


APPRAISAL (CONT.)

• Primary appraisals– Challenge

• means that you have the potential for gain or personal growth

• need to mobilize your physical energy and psychological resources to meet the challenging situation

• elicits positive emotions, such as eagerness or excitement

• usually less stressful than harm/loss or a threat appraisal


APPRAISAL (CONT.)

• Appraisal and stress level– Galvanic skin response

• measure of how much a person’s hand sweats due to physiological arousal and not to normal temperature changes


APPRAISAL (CONT.)

• Same situation, different appraisals– people do not agree on which situations are

stressful– level of stress depends not only on the kind of

situation but also on the kind of primary appraisal one makes


p483 STRESS SITUATION CHART


PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES

• Fight-flight response– directs great resources of energy to the muscles

and the brain– can be triggered by either physical stimuli that

threaten our survival or psychological situations that are novel, threatening, or challenging

– involves numerous physiological responses that arouse and prepare the body for action

– fight or flight


PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES (CONT.)

• Sequence for activation of the fight-flight response– appraisal

• physically or psychologically threatening stimuli can trigger the fight-flight response and negative emotional feelings

• fear, rage– hypothalamus

• simultaneously activates two stress-related responses: it triggers the pituitary gland to release a stress fighting hormone called ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)

• activates the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system



• Sequence for activation of the fight-flight response– sympathetic division

• activated by hypothalamus• triggers a number of physiological responses• Parasympathetic division

– activated by the hypothalamus– returns the body to a more relaxed, calm

state



• Sequence for activation of the fight-flight response– fight-flight response

• increases heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, secretion of excitatory hormones, and many other responses

• prepares body to deal with impending threat


p485 FIGHT-FLIGHT CHART



• Psychosomatic symptoms– real, sometimes painful, physical symptoms– headaches, muscle pains, stomach problems,

and increased susceptibility to colds and flu– cause, by worry, stress, and anxiety– psychosomatic is derived from:– psyche meaning “mind”– soma meaning “body”


p486 COMMON PSCYHOSOMATIC SYMPTOMS



• Development of symptoms– Genetic predisposition

• most of us inherit a tendency that targets a particular organ or bodily system for weakening or breaking down

• heart, blood vessels, stomach lining, or immune system

• different individuals who are in similar stressful situations experience different kinds of psychosomatic symptoms

– Lifestyles• smoking, being overweight, not exercising, or taking

little time for relaxing



• Development of symptoms– Threat appraisals

• some of us are more likely to appraise situations as threatening.

• elicit negative emotions• trigger fight-flight response• psychosomatic symptoms• poor lifestyles and too many threat appraisals• can damage or break down body organs that

may have already been weakened



• General adaptation syndrome (GAS)– refers to the body’s reaction to stressful situations

during which it goes through a series of three stages

– alarm– resistance– exhaustion– gradually increases the chances of developing

psychosomatic symptoms



• General adaptation syndrome– Alarm stage

• initial reaction to stress and is marked by activation of the fight-flight response

• causes physiological arousal– Resistance stage

• the body’s reaction to continued stress during which most of the physiological responses return to normal levels but the body uses up great stores of energy



• General adaptation syndrome– Exhaustion stage

• the body’s reaction to long-term, continuous stress, marked by actual breakdown in internal organs or weakening of the infection-fighting immune system



• Mind-body connection– refers to how your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions

can produce physiological changes that may be either beneficial or detrimental to your health and well-being

• Mind-body therapy– based on the finding that thoughts and emotions

can change physiological and immune responses– uses mental strategies, such as relaxation,

meditation, and biofeedback



• Immune system– body’s defense and surveillance network of cells

and chemicals that fight off bacteria, viruses, and other foreign or toxic substances

– psychoneuroimmunology– study of the relationship among three factors– central nervous system– endocrine system– psychosocial factors


STRESSFUL EXPERIENCES

• Kinds of stress– Hassles

• small, irritating, frustrating events that we face daily and that we usually appraise or interpret as stressful experiences

– Uplifts• small pleasurable, happy, and satisfying

experiences that we have in our daily lives– Major life events

• potentially disturbing, troubling, or disruptive situations, both positive and negative, that we appraise as having a significant impact on our lives


p490 SOCIAL READJUSTMENT RATING SCALE


STRESSFUL EXPERIENCES (CONT.)

• Situational stress– Frustration

• the awful feeling that results when your attempts to reach some goal are blocked

– Burnout• refers to being physically overwhelmed and

exhausted, finding the job unrewarding and becoming cynical or detached, and developing a strong sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment in this particular job



• Situational stress– Violence

• posttraumatic stress disorder• a disabling condition that results from personally

experiencing an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or from witnessing such and event, or hearing of such an event happening to a family member or close friend

• number of psychological symptoms• recurring and disturbing memories• terrible nightmares• intense fear and anxiety



• Conflict– the feeling you experience when you must

choose between two or more incompatible possibilities or options

• Approach-approach conflict– involves choosing between two situations that

both have pleasurable consequences



• Conflict– Avoidance-avoidance conflict

• involves choosing between two situations that both have disagreeable consequences

– Approach-avoidance conflict• involves a single situation that has both

pleasurable and disagreeable aspects



• Conflict– Five styles of dealing with conflict

1. Avoidance– by avoiding or ignoring conflict, it will

disappear or magically go away2. Accommodation

– hate conflicts and tend to please people and worry about approval

3. Domination– go to any lengths to win, even if it means

being aggressive and manipulative



• Conflict– Five styles of dealing with conflict

4. Compromise– recognize that others have different needs

and try to solve conflicts through compromise

5. Integration– try to resolve conflicts by finding solutions

to please both partners



• Anxiety– unpleasant state characterized by feelings of

uneasiness and apprehension as well as increased physiological arousal, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure


PERSONALITY & SOCIAL FACTORS

• Hardiness– combination of three personality traits:

• control• commitment• challenge

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 21: Health, Stress & Coping Module 21...

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