Stress (Exam 5)

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Stress and Health

Chapter 11

Psychology 101

Dr. Akiyama

Fall 2011


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Overview

Causes of Stress

Process of Appraisal

Stress and the Body Personality and Health

Coping with Stress


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Stress and Health


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The Stress-and-Coping Process


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What Causes Stress?

Not just final papers and exams


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Stress

The anxious or threatening feeling thatcomes when we interpret a situation as

being more than we can handle


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Natural Disasters


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Scarring Effects of Natural

Disasters

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Increase in

Suicide Rate

Floods Hurricances Earthquakes

Type of Natural Disaster


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War


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Traumatic Events


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College


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Reactions to Crises and

Catastrophes

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A disorder resulting from exposure to a

major stressor, with symptoms of:

anxiety

nightmares

poor sleep

reliving the event

concentration problems


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Life Events

Change itself may cause stress by forcing

us to adapt to new circumstances.

Impact of change depends on person and

how change is interpreted.


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Examples: Life Events

Death of spouse/family member

Divorce

Imprisonment

Marriage

Job loss

Pregnancy

School transfer

Vacations


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Microstressors: The Hassles of

Everyday Life

Most common source of stress arises

from the daily hassles that irritate us.

Microstressors place a constant strainon us.

The accumulation of daily hassles

contributes more to illness than do major

life events.


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Hassles

Traffic Health of a family member

Rising price of common goods

(Gasoline; food; rent) Too many things to do today (school,

friends, family, work)

Loneliness

Money troubles

Academic grades


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What is the Result of Daily

Hassles?

Overload: The gradual accumulation of

everyday stresses.

Burnout- Physically and psychologically

overwhelmed & exhausted; cynical; low

motivation

25%of college students experience burnout

C iti A i l f


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Cognitive Appraisal of

Stress


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Appraisals

Refers to our initial, subjective evaluation

of a situation in which we balance the

demands of a situation against our ability

to meet those demands


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Three Appraisals to Stress

Do I perceive the stressful event as:1. Harm/Loss? (-) Emotions High

Stress

2. Threatening? (-) Emotions HighStress

1. Challenging? (+) Emotions Less

Stress


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Perceptions of Control and Stress

The expectation that our behaviors canproduce satisfying outcomes.

Self-efficacy: Feelings of competence

A state of mind that varies from one specifictask and situation to another.


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How Does Stress Affect

the Body?


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Divisions of the Nervous System


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Cannons Physiological Response

to Threat

Appraisal of Harm\Loss or Threat Hypothalamus Activation

Pituitary Gland releases Adrenocortico-

tropic hormone (ATCH- stress fighter) Activates the sympathetic nervous system

Fight or Flight Response (Hyperalertness)

enera ap a on


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enera ap a onSyndrome

ccording to Selye, a stress response to any kind ostimulation is similar. The stressed individual goes

through three phases.

EPA/YuriKochetkov/L

andov


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PsychoneuroimmunologyDuring stress, energy is mobilized away

from the immune system making itvulnerable.


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Relationship between stress and the

immune system


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Health-Related Consequences

Stress can have a variety of health-relatedconsequences.

KathleenFinlay/

Masterfile


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Pathways From Stress to CHD

Under stress, people engage in behaviors thatare less healthy and they are morephysiologically reactive.

Both of these contribute to coronary heartdisease.


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Personality and Health


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Stress and Personality

Type A personality - person who isambitious, time conscious, extremely

hardworking, and tends to have high levels of

hostility and anger as well as being easily

annoyed. 3x more likely to get heart disease

Type B personality - person who is relaxed

and laid-back, less driven and competitivethan Type A, and slow to anger.

Menu


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Stress and Personality

Type C personality - pleasant butrepressed person, who tends to

internalize his or her anger and anxiety

and who finds expressing emotionsdifficult.

Associated with Cancer- increase stress

hormones


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Which Personality Type best

Describes You?

A. Type A

B. Type B

C. Type C


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Optimistic Explanatory Styles

Optimism is a generalized tendency to

expect positive outcomes.

Characterized by a focus on the good things-

positive appraisals


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Pessimistic Explanatory Styles

Depression is a state of hopelessness

brought on by the negative self-

attributions people make for failure.

12% of men and 21% of women will

experience a major depression


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Coping With Stress


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Coping

Actions we take to reduce stress


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Coping Strategies

Problem-focused coping - designed to

reduce stress through direct actions

Difficulty at school Talk with your professor;

form a study group; visit a tutor


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Coping Strategies

Emotion-focused coping- Changing theemotional reaction to stressors.

Role of Positive Emotions

Denial & Distraction Opening Up


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Perceived Control

Research with rats and humans indicates that

the absence of control over stressors is a

predictor of health problems.


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Stress (Exam 5)