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    Psych 20 Chapter 13

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    Psych 20 Chapter 13

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    135 views13 pages

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    psych 20 chapter 13

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    135 views13 pages

    Psych 20 Chapter 13

    Uploaded by

    api-203814269

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 13

    Stress and Health

    Stress can be described as:


    A persons perception of his or her inability
    to cope with a certain tense event or situation

    A stressor is the stress-producing event or
    situation.

    The bodys observable response to a stressor is
    a stress reaction.
    Stress can be positive or negative:

    Distress is the result of severe anxiety or
    pressure and can take a harsh toll on the
    mind and body.

    Eustress (positive stress) results from the
    strivings and challenges that make life
    interesting.
    There are a variety of conflict situations that
    result in stress:
    1 Approach-approach conflictchoosing between
    two attractive alternatives
    2 Avoidance-avoidance conflictchoosing
    between two unattractive alternatives
    3 Approach-avoidance conflictthere are both
    attractive and unattractive elements to a
    possible choice
    4 Double approach-avoidance conflictchoosing
    between two or more alternatives, each of which
    has attractive and unattractive elements
    Common sources of stress include:

    Significant life changes (serious illness, job
    changes, relationship changes, moving, etc.)

    Work (or, for students, school)

    Environmental conditions (crowding, noise
    levels, etc.)
    Reactions to stress can be short term or long
    term.
    Short term psychological reactions include:
    o Anxietya feeling of imminent but unclear
    threat
    o Anger
    o Fear

    Long term psychological reactions can
    contribute to mental illness (depression,
    anxiety-based disorders, etc.)
    Short-term behavioral reactions include:
    Nervous habits
    Increased eating
    Increased indulgence in vices
    Fatigue

    Long-term behavioral reactions include the
    development of general aggressiveness and
    escapist lifestyles (alcoholism, drug
    addiction, chronic unemployment, etc.)
    Short-term physical reactions can involve the
    fight-or-flight response, or health issues
    such as headaches, insomnia, difficulty
    breathing, muscle aches, sweating and dry
    mouth.

    Long-term physical reactions include a
    variety of illnesses, including ulcers, heart
    disease and cancer
    Research has suggested that people with
    Type A personalities (generally ambitious,
    competitive and sensitive) are more likely to
    experience severe stress than other people
    who are generally more relaxed.
    How people interpret or evaluate an event
    (this is called cognitive appraisal) determines
    its stress impact.
    Defense mechanisms such as denial and
    intellectualization (rationalizing from a
    detached standpoint) can lessen the impacts
    of stress.
    The most effective strategy may be cognitive
    preparation (the work of worrying)
    anticipating and preparing for stressful
    reactions.
    Many people use drugs, such as alcohol and
    nicotine to deal with stress, but these are
    ultimately ineffective.

    Anti-anxiety drugs can be prescribed,
    depending on the needs of a particular
    patient.

    Relaxation and meditation techniques can
    help reduce stress.
    Behaviors to help control stress include:
    Controlling stressful situations (avoiding an
    event, or controlling timing to make them
    easier to handle)
    Problem solving (actually dealing with the
    problem head on)
    Having an optimistic outlook
    Physical exercise
    Accessing help from support groups
    Training and preparation
    Improving interpersonal skills
    Some people respond to setbacks in trying to
    cope with stress by learning not to try at all
    psychologists refer to this as learned
    helplessness.

    This reaction is the result of the belief that a
    person has no control over a particular
    situation, or situations generally.

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