1. Motivation, Emotion & Stress: Stress & Health
AP PSYCHOLOGY: Unit V

2. Stress & Health: The Basics
Part one

3. Stress & Health: The Basics
The process by which we perceive & respond to certain events (known as stressors) that we appraise as threatening and/or challenging
Stress is not…
A simple stimulus or response
Necessarily a negative thing

4. Stress & Health: The Basics
Two major classifications of stress…
Acute Stressors
Relatively short in duration with a clear endpoint
An encounter with a belligerent customer
A major exam
An impending natural disaster
Chronic Stressors
Relatively long in duration with no apparent endpoint
Persistent financial strains
A sick family member
A hostile boss

5. Stress & Health: Types of Stress
Part two

6. Stress & Health: Types of Stress
Frustration (Daily Hassles)
Occurs in any situation in which a hassle or annoyance is present
Insignificant (in terms of stress)
Traffic
Broken air conditioner
Aggravating people
Significant (in terms of stress)
Failure and/or loss

7. Stress & Health: Types of Stress
Conflict
Occurs when two (or more) incompatible motivations or behavioral impulses compete for expression
Approach-Approach Conflict
A choice must be made between two attractive goals
Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict
A choice must be made between two unattractive goals
100 Multiple Choice Questions OR 5 Short Answer Essays
Approach-Avoidance Conflict
A choice must be made about whether to pursue a single goal that has both attractive & unattractive aspects

8. Stress & Health: Types of Stress
Significant Life Changes
Any significant alteration to one’s circumstances that require readjustment
Going off to college
Marriage or divorce
Death of loved one
Loss of job

9. Stress & Health: Types of Stress
Catastrophes
Events causing great and often sudden damage or suffering
War/Conflicts
Natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, fires)
Rates of Acute Stress Disorder
Typhoon 7%
Industrial accident 6%
Mass shooting
33%
Violent assault
19%
Prevalence of PTSD following disasters
Bombing
34%
Plane crash into hotel
29%
Mass shooting
28%

10. Stress & Health: Stress Responses
Part three

11. Stress & Health: Response to Stress
“Fight or flight” – How the body responds
Sympathetic nervous system
Heart rate and respiration increases
Digestion slows
Release of sugars
Adrenal glands
Excrete epinephrine and norepinephrine
Outer part of adrenal glands
Secrete glucocorticoids – stress hormones

12. Physiological Response to Stress
Heart disease
Specifically coronary heart disease (90% of heart related deaths)
Increase heart rate Higher levels of stress hormones Higher blood pressure
Increased respiration can cause asthma attacks or hyperventilation
Muscle tension can lead to tension-type headaches or migraines
Reproduction
Testosterone production, sperm production and maturation
Absent or irregular menstrual cycles (or changes in length)
Premenstrual symptoms become worsened – cramping, bloating, etc.

13. Stress & Health: Response to Stress
Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
Body’s adaptive response to stress is as general as an alarm sounding
Consists of three separate stages:
Alarm reaction – activation of sympathetic nervous system
Resistance – coping with stressor; resistance can only last so long
Exhaustion – reserves depleted; vulnerable to collapse or illness

14. Stress & Health: Coping with Stress
Emotional Responses
Dependent on the stimulus (and one’s personality)
Common responses to stress typically occur along three dimensions of emotion
(1) Annoyance, frustration, anger, rage
(2) Apprehension, embarrassment, anxiety, fear
(3) Dejection, depression, sadness, grief
Emotion-focused coping
Trying to reduce negative emotional responses
Praying, eating, drugs/alcohol, disclosure
Used when we cannot change situation
…or when we believe we cannot change situation

15. Stress & Health: Coping with Stress
Problem-focused coping
Addressing stressors directly
Used when we feel a sense of control over a situation
We believe we can change the circumstances or change ourselves to alleviate the stress
Example:
You have a disagreement with a friend and confront the individual directly to discuss the issue
How would emotion-focused be different in this case?

16. Stress and Health: Coping Strategies
Problem-focused OR Emotion-focused Coping Strategies
(Does this help me solve the problem?)
Planning, information seeking
Seeking social support
Turning to religion
“Venting” of emotions
Distraction
Humor
Adjusting expectations
Staying busy to take your mind off an issue
Time-management
Journaling
Taking control
Evaluating pros and cons
Relaxation, meditation

17. Stress & Health: Coping with Stress
Constructive Coping
Healthy efforts to deal with stressful events
How?
Realistic appraisal of the stress & coping resources
Learning to recognize, and in some cases regulate, potentially disruptive emotional reactions to stress
Direct confrontation of the problem

18. Stress & Health: Effects of Stress
Part four

19. Stress & Health: Effects of Stress
Psychological Effects
Burnout
Physical & emotional exhaustion, as well as cynicism and a lowered sense of self-efficacy
Generally brought on by work-related stress
Psychological problems & disorders
Poor academic performance, sleep disturbances, sexual difficulties, alcohol & drug abuse, etc.
Positive effects?
Resilience
Successful adaptation to significant stress & trauma

20. Stress & Health: Personality Factors
Part Five

21. Stress & Health: Behavior Pattern
(Friedman and Rosenman)
Type A
General Characteristics
Competitive, self-critical, supermotivated
Time-conscious & impatient
Anger & hostility
Easily annoyed; tend to overreact
In life…
Tend to be workaholics
Often successful, but frequently unsatisfied
Find it very difficult to relax/to do nothing
More prone to..?
High blood pressure and heart disease

22. Stress & Health: Personality Factors
Type B
General Characteristics
Easygoing & slow to anger
Relaxed & flexible
Less competitive
In life…
Don’t stress over deadlines
Less time-bound