1. Chapter 3: Stress and Health Psychology
AP Psychology
Chapter 3:
Stress and
Health Psychology
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2. ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Understanding Stress
What is Stress?
A nonspecific response of the body to any demand made on it;
The arousal, both physical and mental, to situations or events that we perceive as threatening or challenging.
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Sources of Stress
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Does This Cause Stress?
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Sources of Stress
Cataclysmic Events: stressors that occur suddenly and generally affect many people simultaneously
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7. Significant Life Changes
Happy life events such as getting engaged or married.
Moving, leaving home, losing a job, getting divorced, having a loved one die.
Young adults typically report higher stress levels than much older adults.
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Sources of Stress
Chronic Stressors: ongoing, long lasting, unpleasant events
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Sources of Stress
Life Changes:
life events that require some adjustment in behavior or lifestyle
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Sources of Stress
Hassles::
small, everyday problems that accumulate to become source of stress
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Hassles
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Fight or Flight!!!!
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15. Fight or Flight Response
Heart rate increases
Blood pressure increases
Respiration becomes rapid and shallow
Live releases stores of glycogen, thus raising the blood sugar level.
Digestive system shuts down and blood reroutes to muscles & pupils dilate.
Hair stands up on end.
Excitatory hormones secreted
Muscles tense
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Fight-Or-Flight!!
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17. Is This Guy Coping Well With Stress?
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Is This You?
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Sources of Stress
Occupation Burnout: state of psychological and physical exhaustion resulting from chronic exposure to high levels of stress and little personal control
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Sources of Stress
Frustration unpleasant tension resulting from a blocked goal
Conflict forced choice between two or more incompatible goals or impulses
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Sources of Stress
Three Types of Conflict
Approach-Approach: forced choice between two or more desirable alternatives
Avoidance-Avoidance: forced choice between two or more undesirable alternatives
Approach-Avoidance: forced choice between two or more alternatives both having desirable and undesirable results
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Sources of Stress
If this man is interested in one of the three women on the couch, is he experiencing an approach-approach, approach-avoidance, or avoidance-avoidance conflict?
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23. Irrational Assumptions: These Can Cause Stress!
Unhappiness is inevitable.
I must do everything to perfection.
Everyone must approve of what I do.
The world should b fair and just.
I should not question authorities of social beliefs.
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Ever Felt This Way?
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Agree or Disagree?
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Effects of Stress
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Effects of Stress
Stress and the HPA Axis:
Prolonged elevation of cortisol is related to:
increased depression, memory problems, etc.
impaired immune system, which leaves the body vulnerable to disease.
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29. This Wouldn’t Cause You Any Harm At All, Would it?
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Effects of Stress
Stress and the Immune System
Psychoneuroimmunology: interdisciplinary field that studies the effect of psychological factors on the immune system
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Effects of Stress
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion
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Would This Help?
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33. Stress In Your Life—RIGHT NOW
Attending college (or getting ready to)
Job satisfaction—do I like my work now or the work I will do in the future.
Women & men= does an income gap exists between the two?
Career changes—impacts those a bit older than you, but you are now competing with older adults for work due to the economy. Also many of you will change careers several times.
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Optimism vs. Pessimism
Optimists—anticipation of positive outcomes, they are people who expect the best and believe their efforts will lead to good things.
Pessimists—anticipate negative outcomes. They are people who expect the worst and doubt their goals will ever be achieved.
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Realism
Being realistically anxious over possible failures can actually motivate people.
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Which Are You?
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Stress and Illness
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): anxiety disorder following exposure to extraordinary stress
Gastric Ulcers: caused by bacteria or stress?
Cancer: related to hereditary disposition and environmental factors
Cardiovascular Disorders: contributing factors include stress hormones, certain personality types, and certain behaviors
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Stress and Illness
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41. Mental Tension Situation #1
Brian, an ambitious high school senior, fails his final exam in American Government. He is terrified that his chances of not only graduating, but getting into college have been ruined, and a day or two later he develops a severe skin rash.
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42. Mental Tension Situation #2
Jenny, Brian’s friend from class, learns that her parents cannot afford to pay her tuition for her first year of college; her friends wonder why she has suddenly become so bad tempered.
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43. Mental Tension Situation #3
Annie gets her first leading role in a high school play; while running outside to call her boyfriend, she realizes that she cannot remember the phone number.
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Discussion Questions
What causes stress?
In your experience, are people who dislike change better equipped to cope with stress than people who claim to welcome change in their lives?
Why are life changes sources of stress?
How is stress necessary for survival?
What happens during the resistance stage of stress?
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Discussion Questions
6. What is post-traumatic stress disorder and whom does it effect?
7. What effect does the fight-or flight response have on your immune system?
8. Have you ever witnessed “road rage”? Describe the incident.
9. Would you feel more stressed about a scheduled exam or a pop quiz? Why?
10. How does social support reduce stress?
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Road Rage
Involves a desire to retaliate and punish another driver.
It can result in criminal behavior, such as violence or threatened violence.
Psychologists believe road rage reflects a driver’s anger and lack of self-control.
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47. Tips to Avoid “Road Rage”
Do not retaliate against another driver
Before you react to another driver, consider if this is incident really worth risking your life.
Be polite and courteous, even when others are not.
If you are harassed by another driver and are being followed, proceed to the nearest police station.
Slow down and relax!!
Allow enough travel time to your destination.
Although you can’t control the behavior of other drivers, you can control your own behavior.
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48. Gender Differences & Stress
Who has the higher stress levels—men or women?
Women more likely than men in the USA to live in poverty, experience discrimination and to be abused.
Psychologists argue the traditional roles of women as primary caretakers and wives place them in positions in which anxiety and depression are more likely.
Example—mothers are often made to feel responsible for events that they have little control over, such as the illness of a child or accidents in the home.
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Stress at Work
Jobs requiring employees to hide their true feelings and emotions are considered to be the most stressful. Would include: medicine, teaching, social services, customer service, fire/rescue, law enforcement.
Occupations that typically deal with customer complaints on a daily basis are also very high in stress. These include occupations in: information technology, engineering, sales, finance, operations, production & clerical work.
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Most Stressful Jobs
Inner city high school teacher
Police officer
Miner
Air traffic controller
ER Doctor
Stockbroker
Journalist
Customer service worker
Secretary
Waiter/waitress
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Least Stressful Jobs
Forester
Bookbinder
Telephone line worker
Toolmaker
Mill worker
Repairperson
Civil engineer
Therapist
Natural scientist
Sale representative
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52. Most Stressful Cities/Metro Areas
1. Seattle/Tacoma, WA
2. Miami, FL
3. New Orleans, LA
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. New York, NY
6. Portland,OR/Vancouver, WA
7. Mobile, AL
8. Stockton-Lodi, CA
9. Detroit, MI
10. Dallas, TX
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53. Least Stressful Cities/Metro Areas
1. Albany-Schenectady, NY
2. Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA
3. Orange County, CA
4. Nassau-Suffolk Counties, NY
5. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
6. Ann Arbor, MI
7. Omaha, NE
8. Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA-
9. Honolulu, HI
10. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
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54. Life Changing “Most” Stressful Events
Death of spouse of child
Death of a parent
Getting fired
Death of a brother/sister
Getting a divorce
Pregnancy
Decreased income
Loan or mortgage foreclosure
Job demotion
Marital separation
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

55. Life Changing “Least” Stressful Events
Child leaving for college
Major change in eating habits
Going on Vacation
Job promotion
Major change in sleeping habits
New romantic relationship
Breaking up
Troubles with co-workers
Changing jobs
Major change in living conditions
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56. Health Psychology in Action
Health Psychology: studies how biological, psychological, and social factors affect health and illness
Major Health Risks:
Tobacco
Alcohol and Binge Drinking
Chronic Pain (lasting over 6 months)
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57. Health Psychology in Action
Does this graph surprise you? Smokers often overestimate their risk of dying from homicide and traffic accidents, and greatly underestimate the risk from smoking.
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58. Health and Stress Management
Two major approaches to coping with stress:
Emotion-focused (changing one's perception of stressful situations)
Problem-focused (using problem-solving strategies to decrease or eliminate the source of stress)
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59. Health and Stress Management
Our emotional reaction to stress largely depends on how we interpret it.
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60. Health and Stress Management
Resources for Healthy Living
Health and Exercise
Positive Beliefs
Social Skills
Social Support
Material Resources
Control (Internal locus of control)
Relaxation
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61. Factors Influencing Reactions to Stress
An individual’s personality may make him or her more vulnerable to stress.
Emotional expressiveness can also affect the strength of a stress reaction.
People who deny their emotions tend to express feelings less frequently.
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62. Finals Week or SAT Perhaps?
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Concluding Questions
How can stress effect us physically, mentally and emotionally?
What (in your view) causes stress?
Is there such a thing as “positive stress”?
Why are life changes sources of stress?
How is stress necessary for survival?
What causes you “anxiety?
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