Stress, Coping, and Health

Biopsychosocial Model – physical illness is caused by a complex interaction of biology, psychology, and sociocultural factors. – Contagious disease to chronic disease. – Leads to Health Psychology

The Nature of Stress Stress – any circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one’s well being and tax one’s coping abilities.

Causes of Stress stress everyday: major v. minor stressors – cumulative nature Appraisal: stress lies in the eye of the beholder – Primary Appraisal: an initial evaluation of whether an event is irrelevant to you, relevant but not threatening, or stressful. Secondary Appraisal: an evaluation of your coping resources and options for dealing with the stress.

Major Types of Stress Acute Stressors – short duration/clear endpoint. – (Exam) Chronic Stressors –long duration and no readily apparent time limit. – (Credit Card Debt)

Four Types of Stress

Frustration Pursuit of some goal is thwarted (you want something you can't have...) – most brief and insignificant (i.e. traffic) – some highly stressful: failures (often resulting from unrealistic goals) – and losses (i.e. loved one)

Conflict two or more incompatible motivations/behavioral impulses compete for expression. a. approach-approach conflict: two attractive choices – (least stressful) b. avoidance-avoidance conflict: two unattractive choices – (highly stressful) c. approach-avoidance: one goal w/attractive and unattractive aspects – (common...often result in vacillation)

Change life changes – significant alteration in one’s living circumstances that require readjustment. Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) [43 major life events] – Problems: SRRS is dominated by negative events; measures a wide range of stressful events, not just change

SRRS Scale

Pressure expectations or demands that one behave in a certain way. Perform v. Conform

Responding To Stress 1212

Emotional Responses Emotions commonly elicited: – annoyance, anger, rage – apprehension, anxiety, fear – dejection, sadness, grief Broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions fights the negative emotional effects. Effects: – inverted U-hypothesis – task performance should improve with increased emotional arousal up to a point. – optimal level: where performance peaks. more complex task = lower optimal level

Yerkes-Dodson Law = Inverted-U Hypothesis

Physiological Responses Walter Cannon: fight-or-flight Shelley Taylor: women different? [tend and befriend] – More care and support offered for offspring during stress. Hans Selye: General Adaptation Syndrome – stress reactions are nonspecific (do not vary with different types of stressors) – 1. Alarm (FoF) 2. Resistance (Coping) 3. Exhaustion (Depletion) Brain/Body Pathways: [endocrine system/hypothalamus] – 1. ANS; central part of adrenal gland (adrenal medulla); catecholamines – FoF physiological changes – 2. pituitary gland; outer part (adrenal cortex); corticosteroids Energy increase

Behavioral Responses Coping – active effort to master, reduce, or tolerate demands created by stress. Types of Coping (below): 1.Giving up and blaming oneself – Learned helplessness: – Catastrophic Thinking 2.Striking Out at Others – Aggression – Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis – Freud’s Displacement & Catharsis 1.Indulging Oneself – Self-Indulgence: reduced impulse control – Internet Addiction 2.Defensive Coping Mechanism – largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from anxiety and guilt. 3.Constructive Coping – Healthful efforts that people make to deal with stressful events.