PSYCH 202 1st Edition Lecture 3 From Personality to Stress Stress reactivity is an individual difference factor a predisposing trait o Some people may be more disposed to perceive events as hassles o Some people are more disposed to experience major stressful events o Examples Optimism The trait of optimism is associated with the following empirical findings Less illness symptoms in college and beyond More active approach to stress and problem solving Higher levels of academic success and performance More likely to complete treatment programs for alcoholism More likely to make quick full recovery from coronary bypass surgery Immune system functioning of optimists is higher Optimists respond to stressors with smaller increases in blood pressure Cardiac patients with minimal optimism higher hopelessness have higher rates of new heart attacks are twice as likely to die than persons with low hopelessness Self Efficacy Albert Bandura Degree to which a person believes cognitive variable they have control over reinforcement of their life or what happens to them or that they can improve the things in their lives Can you persevere when faced with obstacles in your life High self efficacy high optimism Hardiness A trait of people demonstrate Commitment sense of purpose involvement with work and family Challenge openness to new experiences and desire to embrace them Control belief that one has power to influence important future outcomes high self efficacy and low learned helplessness Hardy people experience less stressful hassles Respond to threat and challenge with less physiological stress All 3 reflect low stress reactivity Higher stress reactivity pessimistic low SE low hardiness and highly neurotic and disagreeable Symptoms of psychopathology mental disorder personal distress and reduced physical health What is stress o Hans Selye distinguished stressors from stress 1950 s he examined its role in health and disease Video Stress is nonspecific response of the organism to any pressure or demand General adaptation syndrome Selye s Distinctions A stressor is astimulus event that produces a stress response Where are our stressors External stressors loss of job relationship problems classes not going well Internal stressors chronic self criticism depressive thinking social anxiety hostility unstable emotionality or neuroticism chronic circulating stress hormones dysregulated HPA axis General Adaptation Syndrome GAS 3 stages Alarm sympathetic nervous system is activated Adrenaline flows HPA Axis is activated Resistance Plateau stage Antibodies are sent to wound in case of physical harm Exhaustion Stage of depletion Begins to develop decay and deterioration Leads to premature death Selye s view is that stress is the total response of your organism mind and body to whatever stressors you experience
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