STRESSOR (define)
STRESS (define)
A stimulus that causes or produces stress and challenges our ability to cope.
A state of physiological (biological) and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as challenging or exceeding their
Why is stress seen a psycho-biological process?
Why is stress a subjective experience?
Stress has both biological and psychological components / consequences.
Because it depends on personal interpretation to stressors
Acute stress:
Episodic acute stress:
Chronic stress:
tends to produced a very high arousal level of relatively short time. e.g) upcoming sac
when acute stress occurs over and over again. e.g) an upcoming sac, then getting sick, then a breakdown of a close relationship.
involve ongoing demands, pressures and
Eustress:
5 characteristics of Eustress:
positive psychological response to a stressor.
- feeling enthusiastic, motivated, excited, active and alert (positive psychological states)
- when stress is beneficial or desirable
- when stress is not harmful or damaging to the body
- typically short ter
Distress:
4 characteristics of Distress:
a negative psychological response to a stressor.
- anger, anxiety, nervousness, irritability or tension (negative psychological states)
- when stress is objectionable or undesirable
- stress can have serious debilitating consequences for health
- can be s
The order of stressors, stress, eustress or distress
Does the body recognise the distinction between eustress and distress?
1. STRESSOR (do diagram)
2. STRESS
3. INTERPRETATION
4. EUSTRESS OR DISTRESS
No, as all stressors produced a non-specific response.
This means that our body undergoes virtually the same physiological responses regardless or the stressor.
What does a situations interpretation of eustress or distress depend on? (3)
What are 5 sources of stress?
- individual's personality
- prior experience
- perception and interpretation
- Daily pressures
- Life events
- Acculturative stress
- Major stressors
- Catastrophes
Daily pressures:
What are 3 characteristics of hassles?
are little problems of everyday living that are irritants- events that annoy or bother us and which can make us upset or angry.
e.g) losing your keys when in a hurry.
- occur on regular basis
- others are rare
- can have slight or strong effect
Can hassles be a major source of stress?
How are hassles and physical / mental health issues related?
Yes, when they pile up.
The more symptoms of physical and mental health problems we have, the more likely we are to experience health issue such as the flu or headaches/
Life events:
What are 4 characteristics of life events:
involves change that forces us to adapt to new circumstances.
e.g) moving school.
- immediate consequences
- require longer term adjustments
- can be our own choices
- events can be pleasant or unpleasant
Acculturative stress:
What does it mean to become acculturated?
refer to the stress people experience in trying to adapt a new culture when living in it for a considerable period of time.
to adopt the values, customs and language preferences of the new dominant culture.
When does acculturative stress occur?
Potential stressors: (6)
when people willingly relocate or emigrate for better opportunities or flee as refugees or asylum seekers.
language difficulties, racial or ethnic discrimination, lower socioeconomic status, loneliness, qualifications not being recognised, homesickness
What 3 ways can reduce acculturative stress?
- new society accept ethnic and cultural diversity
- person has some familiarity with new language and customs
- individual's attitudes become part of the dominant culture.
What are major stressors?
5 characteristics of major stressors:
is an event that is extraordinarily stressed or disturbing for almost everyone who experiences it.
- event is distressing
- can be a single event or ongoing and relentless
- doesn't have to be directly experienced
- intrude daily life
- adverse emotional
Why are they said to be psychologically traumatic?
What are some examples of major stressors that can lead to psychological trauma?
Because they typically involve experiences that are life threatening. or a significant threat to individual's well being.
- act of violence
- natural disasters
- interpersonal violence
What are the 3 reactions people may experience following a major stressor?
According to APS, what are the symptoms of psychological trauma due to a major stressor? (4)
- shock and denial
- longer term reactions, flashback, trained relationships, physical symptoms
These reactions may last for a few days or for long duration, depending on nature of event.
Physical
Cognitive
Behavioural
Emotional
What are physical and cognitive?
Physical: hyper vigilance (excessive alertness, lookout for danger), easily startled, fatigue, disturbed sleep, general pains
Cognitive: intrusive thoughts and recurring memories of event nightmares, poor concentration, disorientation , confusion
What are behavioural and emotional?
Behavioural: avoidance of places/activities that are reminders of the event, social withdrawal and isolation, loss of interest
Emotional: fear, detachment, depression, guilt, anger and anxiety, panic, irritability
Define catastrophes:
4 characteristics of a catastrophe:
is an unpredictable event that causes widespread damage or suffering.
-unpredictable and sudden
-can cause widespread damage and suffering
-affects many people simultaneously
-completely out of person's control
The two ways catastrophe can occur:
2 examples of catastrophes:
How do direct and indirect exposure to catastrophes cause mental health issues?
What is a important resource for coping?
-natural (no blame)
-attributable by humans (blame)
- natural disasters (fires, earthquakes)
- human attacks (terrorism, wars)
Direct exposure: higher risk of future mental health problems.
Indirect exposure: lower risk of long term impact of health issue
What will those who experience catastrophes tend to exhibit? (3)
What are 2 physiological and psychological symptoms that can occur for long after the catastrophe?
- high levels of physiological arousal (anger, anxiety)
- re-experiencing events
-making an effort to avoid reminders of events
these should gradually decrease over time.
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
ACUTE STRESS DISORDER
What are 2 models for describing and explaining physiological (BIOLOGICAL) responses to a stressor?
What do these models do?
- FIGHT-FLIGHT-FREEZE RESPONSE
- GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME
They describe patterns of involuntary biological processes that occur in response to a stressor.
The changes occur in much the same way in all individuals.
What is the fight-flight-response?
What are the 3 aspects of this response?
What does it mean to be an adaptive response?
involuntary, physical response to a sudden and immediate threat (or stressor).
Fight- confront and fighting off the threat
Flight- escaping by running away to safety
Freeze- keeping absolutely still and silent, avoiding detection.
enables us to deal with
How does the body prepare to either fight or flight?
What is the fight-flight reaction initiated by? What are some changes it involves:
All energy is directed from non-essential body systems to those systems that will help you survive.
The sympathetic nervous system and involve changes such as:
- Increased heart rate, breathing rate, glucose secretion
-dilation of pupils
-suppression of f
What is the biological process?
(stick on diagram) 3.17
What occurs when a stressor is removed?
What is the freeze reaction? Why does it occur?
The parasympathetic nervous system becomes dominant and the high level of bodily arousal gradually subsides, returning body to normal functioning.
Sometime we cannot run away or are unable to fight or the threat is overwhelming and there is no immediate c
What are the types of behavioural responses?
What is tonic immobility? What value does it have?
-body movements and vocalisations
-racing heart slows, blood pressure drops
-tense muscles collapse and become still
-reflexive, 'orientating response' (looking where danger is)
-hyper vigilance
Apparent frozen state of body and considered to have adaptiv
What is the biological process of the freeze response?
The Sympathetic nervous system always precedes the freeze state and becomes a part of this state.
When the freeze reaction is initiated the energy-conserving system dominate over the existing effects of the sympathetic nervous system activation.
What does the freeze response leave the individual in?
Why do we need additional resources to deal with stressors?
a state of high arousal of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
- allows for energy conservation and a mobilised state ready for action.
Because the body cannot maintain the intensity of the fight and flight reactions for a prolonged period o
What does the HPA axis do?
What is the main effect of cortisol?
Puts into motion a slower by longer lasting chain of reactions that includes the release of CORTISOL.
to energise the body by increasing energy supplies such as blood sugar and enhancing metabolism.
Level of cortisol circulating the bloodstream is commonl
What does the HPA axis stand for?
What is faster, the HPA axis or the flight-fight-freeze response?
Hypothalamus
Pituitary Gland
Adrenal gland
The HPA axis is slower and also persists for a longer duration.
What happens when cortisol reaches a certain level?
The hypothalamus is signalled to turn off the stress response. This is part of the normally occurring feedback loop that turns on and off a health, appropriate physiological response to stress.
What can occur due to prolonged activation of our stress response systems?
Can be harmful to our physical and mental health.
long term stressors cause HPA axis to continue to be active so cortisol remains at a high level.
This can impair the immune systems functioning and increase vulnerability to disease.
(colds, flu, hypertens
What did Selye conclude from his studies on animals and hospital patients?
-stress is non-specific & brought on by internal or external stressors
-stress is the body's physiological response to physical and psychological demands and represents body's effort to adapt to new conditions
-we have a number of specific reactions that
What is the General Adaptation Model?
Is it specific or non-specific?
What are the 3 stages?
a model of three stage physiological response to stress that occurs regardless of the stressor that is encountered.
Non-specific and will occur no matter the stressor.
1. ALARM REACTION (shock and counter shock)
2. RESISTANCE
2. EXHAUSTION
Alarm reaction:
an initial response which occurs when the person first becomes aware of the stressor.
- defensive, state of tension and alertness, readiness to respond to stressor.
Shock: firstly, body goes into state of shock and ability to deal with stressor falls belo
When does the resistance stage occur?
Resistance:
when energy is required to deal with stressor if not dealt with immediately in order to adapt.
he body's resistance to the particular stressor rises above normal. The intense arousal of the alarm reaction stage diminishes, but physiological arousal remain
When does the exhaustion stage occur?
Exhaustion stage:
When stressor not dealt with successfully in resistance stage and stress continues.
the body cannot sustain its resistance and the effects of the stressor can no longer be dealt with.
-because organism has dealt with stressor for prolonged time, resources
General adaptation MODEL:
(3.24)
GAS STRENGTHS:
-further developed understanding of the links between stress and disease
-identifies biological processes associated with the body's stress response
-explains the potentially detrimental effects of the adaptation process following exposure to a persistent
GAS LIMITATIONS:
- one size fits all model & assumes everyone had the same physiological response to stressors
- doesn't take into account cognitive aspects of the response, specifically the role of the brain in interpreting a situation/event as stressful
-primarily based
6 psychological causes of how we respond to stress:
Prior experience, attitude, motivation, self-esteem, personality and coping skills
RICHARD LAZARUS AND SUSAN FOLKMAN TRANSNATIONAL MODEL OF STRESS AND COPING:
What two key psychological factors determine the extent to which an event is experienced stressful:
proposes that stress involves an encounter (transaction) between an individual and their external environment, and that a stress response depends upon the individuals interpretation (appraisal) of the stressor and their ability to cope with it.
-The meani
According to the model when will person experience stress?
Is appraisal subjective?
When there is imbalance between a persons appraisal of the demands of the situation and their estimation of the ability to meet demands.
appraisal is subjective and a highly personal process. Depends on our estimation of ability to cope, so two people may
Primary appraisal:
in this first step we evaluate/judge the significance of the event.
First we decide if event is:
Irrelevant- no significance
Benign-positive-desirable/positive
Stressful- harmful/threatening
If we decide it is stressful then we engage in additional apprai
Secondary appraisal:
we evaluate our coping options and resources and our options for dealing with the event.
resources can be external or internal.
likely to experience stress when coping demands of situation are perceived as far greater than resources that are available.
di
RICHARD LAZARUS AND SUSAN FOLKMAN TRANSNATIONAL MODEL OF STRESS AND COPING: (1984)
DIAGRAM
TMSAC: STRENGTHS:
-focuses on psychological influences and how we react to stressor
-emphasises the personal nature and individuality of the human stress response
-model was developed with reference to observations of people
-individual has active role rather than passive
TMSAC: LIMITATIONS
-difficult to test through experimental research
-both appraisals can interact with one another and may be simultaneous
-doubt as to whether we actually need to appraise something as causing stress in order to have stress repnose
-people may not always be
COPING:
Two types of coping strategies:
involves cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific internal and/or external stressors that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person in stressful situation.
approach strategies
avoidance strategies
Approach:
involves efforts to confront a stressor and deal directly with it and its effects.
- activity focused towards stressor causing a solution that will address underlying problem
-involves engagement with stressor
e.g) finding out more information, considerin
Avoidance:
involves efforts that evade a stressor and deal indirectly with it and its effects.
- activity focused away from stressor and there is no attempt to actively confront it and its cause
-behavioural and emotion disengagement
e.g) stopping trying, pretending
What are approach strategies considered more adaptive?
What does heavy reliance on adaptive stategies cause?
Can avoidance strategies be used to cope?
Can both be used at once?
People who rely more on approach strategies tend to experience fewer psychological symptoms and able to function more effectively.
excessive reliance on avoidance strategies involves negative consequences, such as increased vulnerability to mental health
What must a strategy have to be effective?
Context-specific effectiveness:
What personal characteristics of the person involved will be taken into account for an effective strategy?
Must account of all the characteristics of the stressful situation, such as physical environment and stressor or individual involved.
when there is a match or good fit between the coping strategy that is used and he stressful situation.
personality, knowl
What is coping flexibility?
This includes the ability to do 5 things:
the ability to effectively modify or adjust one's coping strategies according to the demands of different stressful situations.
-identify whether use of flexible approach is appropriate for situation
-coping strategy suits situation
-recognise when strate
What does adaptability help ensure?
Individuals with high coping flexibility: (3)
That we are more able to meet the specific challenges of a variety of stressful situations in a changing environment.
HIGH COPING FLEXIBILITY:
-readily adjust their coping strategies if one in use is ineffective
-use different strategies across a variety
Individuals with low coping flexibility: (3)
-consistently use same strategies across varying situations
-persist in their use of the strategy even when ineffective
-not very adaptable
Exercise:
is physical activity that is usually planned and performed to improve or maintain ones physical condition.
-shown to be important for both physical and mental well being
-individuals who engage in regular aerobic exercise tend to have higher levels of car
7 Stress reactions that stress can help counter:
-uses up stress hormones
-work out tension that has built up in muscles
-increases efficiency of cardiovascular system, increases strength, flexibility and stamina
-short-term psychological benefits such as relaxation & relief
-mood enhancing beta-endorph