Psyc 412 1st Edition Lecture 9Outline of Last Lecture I. Autonomic Nervous SystemII. NeurotransmittersIII. Disorders of the Nervous SystemIV. Multiple SclerosisV. The Endocrine SystemOutline of Current Lecture I. Stress versus Stressor II. Different aspects of the stress response (emotional, cognitive, physical, biochemical)III. Different types of stressors (life events versus daily hassles)IV. Fight or flight – basic ideas of Cannon’s researchV. Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome VI. Taylor’s Tend and Befriend approach VII. Psychological appraisal and the experience of stress appraisalVIII. Physiology of stressIX. Physical effects of long-term stressX. Allostatic load XI. Assessing the stress response XII. Dimensions of stressful events XIII. Psychological and physiological adaptation to stressXIV. PTSD XV. Chronic Stressors XVI. Socioeconomic status and health XVII. Stress in the workplace Current Lecture- Stress: a negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes that are directed to either altering the stressful event or accommodating to its effects- Stressors: stressful events, may be noise, commute to work, death of a family membero An experience may be stressful to some but not otherso Life events vs. daily hassles- Person-environment fit: the assessment of whether personal resources are sufficient to meet the demands of the environment (stress)- Fight-or-flight response: (Walter Cannon) when an organism perceives a threat the body is aroused and motivated via SNS and endocrine system. Physiological response mobilizes the organism to attack the threat or fleeo Can be adaptive: enables organisms to respond quickly to threatso Can be harmful because stress disrupts emotional and physiological functioning and if it continues, can cause health problems- General adaptation syndrome (Hans Selye): when an organism confronts a stressor it mobilizes itself for actiono Response is nonspecific with respect to the stressor (we respond the same to all threats)o Three phases First phase: alarm: organism becomes mobilized to meet the threat Second phase: resistance: organism makes efforts to cope with the threat Third phase: exhaustion: occurs if the animal fails to overcome the threat an depletes its physiological resources in the process of tryingo Criticisms:  Assigns limited role to physiological factors  Not all stressors produce the same endocrinological responses  Is it the exhaustion of physiological resources or their chronic activation that is most implicated in stress Stress is not only an outcome, but can also occur in anticipation of the stressful event- Tend-and-befriend: theory that in addition to fight or flight, humans respond to stress with social affiliation and nurturant behavior towards offspring (may be especially true ofwomen)o Men and women faced different adaptive challenges-underlying biological mechanisms (hunting/protection vs. foraging/child care)o Women’s response to stress would have evolved to protect both self and offspringo Hormone oxytocin is released to stress and is influenced by estrogen (increases mothering behaviors)- Psychological appraisals: important to determine of whether an event is responded to as stressful- Primary appraisal: process individuals go through in a changing environment to determine the meaning of a new evento May be appraised as positive, neutral or negativeo Negative events are further appraised for possible harm, threat, or challengeo Harm: the assessment of the damage that has already been done by an evento Threat: the assessment of possible future damage that may be brought about by the evento Challenge: the potential to overcome and even profit from the event- Secondary appraisal: the assessment of one’s coping abilities and resources: whether theywill be sufficient to meet the harm, threat, and challenge of the evento The subjective experience of stress is a balance between primary and secondary appraisals o When harm and threat are high and coping ability is low, substantial stress is felto When coping ability is high, stress is less- Cognitive responses to stress:o Beliefs about harm or threat an event poses and belief about its causes/controllabilityo Involuntary responses: distractibility, inability to concentrate, disruptions on cognitive tasks, intrusive or morbid thoughts- Emotional reactions to stress:o Fear, anxiety, excitement, embarrassment, anger, depression, stoicism, denialo Can be insistent and persistent- Behavioral responses to stress:o Virtually limitlesso Generally confronting the stressor or withdrawal from threatening event- Stress: sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system vs. hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis- SAM systemo Cortex (appraisal process)  Hypothalamus  Sympathetic Nervous System Arousal (fight-or-flight) Medulla (middle) of Adrenal glands release Epinephrine (adrenaline) and Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, diaphoresis, pupil dilation, constriction of peripheral blood vessels.- HPA axis is activated in response to stress (along with sympathetic system)o Hypothalamus releases corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH)o CRH stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)o ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex to release glucocorticoids Cortisol: helps body return to steady state following stresso Repeated activation of HPA axis can compromise its functioning (high cortisol levels is bad for the body)- Indicators of stress:o Self-reportso Behavioral measureso Physiological measureso Biochemical markers- Effects of long-term stresso Excessive discharge of epinephrine and norepinephrine can lead to suppression of cellular immune function (high blood pressure/heart rate)o Provoke abnormal heart rhythms (can lead to early death)o Produce neurochemical imbalances that can lead to psychiatric disorderso Catecholamines may affect lipid and free fatty acid levelso Compromise the immune system (because of too much corticosteroids)o Chronic insomnia- Reactivity: the degree of change that occurs in autonomic, neuroendocrine, and/or immune responses as a result of stresso Some people predisposed due to genetic makeup, prenatal experiences, and/or early life experiences to be more reactive to stresso Can affect vulnerability to illness- Allostatic load: the physiological costs of chronic exposure to