Lecture Notes Gabriel Psych101 Section 5 Page 1 LECTURE NOTES FOR SECTION 5 OF CLASS START HERE Health and Well being Outline of Topics The self and well being Psychoneuroimmunology o Intro o Stress o Coping with Stress o Other factors that affect health The Self and Well Being The Need for Self Esteem The Self Awareness Trap Positive Illusions The Self Esteem Cycle Pic on phone Self Awareness Theory Pic on phone Positive Illusions Unrealistic Optimism Unrealistically positive views of the self Illusion of Control Unrealistic Optimism think good things more likely to happen and bad things very unlikely to happen Lecture Notes Gabriel Psych101 Section 5 Page 2 Students tend to rate their own chances as above average for positive events and below average for negative events Unrealistically Positive Views of the Self Everyone thinks they are above average Exp high school students 70 above average in leadership 60 above average in athletic ability 85 above average in ability to get along with others 25 said that were in top 1 Exp 94 of college professors think that they do above average work Illusion of Control Alloy Abramson 1979 Illusions and Well being Depressed people more realistic Many argue that illusions are necessary for mental health Too many illusions are bad Psychoneuroimmunology Psychoneuroimmunology PNI The study of the relationships among psychology the nervous and endocrine systems and the immune system The Biomedical Model Biological Factors Illness The Biopsychosocial Model Pic on phone Mind Over Matter For a wide range of afflictions 30 to 40 percent of patients experience relief after taking a placebo Causes of Death 1900 1995 Since 1900 heart disease cancer and stroke have replaced infectious diseases as the major causes of death Behavioral factors contribute to each of these leading causes of death Heart Disease Factors Lecture Notes Gabriel Psych101 Sedentary Life Style Stress Obesity Smoking High blood pressure Family history of heart disease Type A behavior Personality Coronary Heart Disease Type A Personality o Competitive o Impatient Time pressured o Quick to anger hostile Type B Personality o Easygoing o Relaxed o Laid back Type A more prone to coronary heart disease Personality type is less predictive of health problems than is hostility Proneness to anger is a major risk factor Cancer Risk Factors Diet Cigarette smoking Excessive alcohol use Promiscuous sexual behavior Genetics STRESS Sources of Stress Conflict Lack of Control Unpredictability Catastrophe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Social Readjustment Rating Scale SRRS Scores Health Pics on phone Section 5 Page 3 Lecture Notes Gabriel Psych101 Section 5 Page 4 The Daily Hassles Scale 117 items used to measure the frequency and severity of a person s transactions with the environment that are considered by the person to be stressful events Example How much of a hassle was this for you 0 None or Did Not Occur A B 1 Somewhat Severe 2 Moderately Severe 3 Extremely Severe Misplacing or losing things 0 1 2 3 Troublesome neighbors 0 1 2 3 Predicts illness better than the SRRS General Adaptation Syndrome Alarm a threat mobilizes body resistance to stress Resistance stress resistance reaches its maximum Exhaustion The organism s resources for dealing with stress are exhausted stress resistance drops off General Adaptation Syndrome Pic on phone Immune System B Cells o Produce and carry antibodies o Produced in bone marrow Pathways From Stress to Illness Pic on Phone Stress can lead to unhealthy behaviors Stress triggers the release of hormones that suppress immune system activity Pathways From Stress to CHD Pic on phone Under stress people engage in less healthy behaviors and are more physiologically reactive Both of these contribute to coronary heart disease Stress Duration and Illness Volunteers were interviewed about life stressors then infected with virus for cold Lecture Notes Gabriel Psych101 Section 5 Page 5 As length of stress increased so did the likelihood of catching the cold Stress impairs immune system functioning Coping With Stress Coping Strategies The Self Healing Personality Social Support Stress and Coping Although stressful events have effects on the body the way we cope can promote health or illness Coping Problem focused coping attempts to modify reduce or eliminate the source of stress Emotion focused coping attempts to alter the emotional response to the stressor Religious belief appears to aid in coping with stressful events such as death of a child Relaxation and the Heart Heart attack patients were taught to relax their pace A control group received standard medical care After 3 years relaxation trained patients suffered 50 fewer second heart attacks Hardiness Resilience Under Stress Commitment o Sense of purpose in work family and life Challenge o Openness to new experiences and change Control o Belief that one has the power to influence important future outcomes Heartfelt Forgiveness Pic in book Lecture Notes Gabriel Psych101 Section 5 Page 6 Hugs and Health Pic in book Exercise Most of Americans do very minimal exercise Exercise Benefits Improved heart efficiency Higher HDL levels Stronger bones esp in women Burns more calories aiding weight control Moderates stress effects Fitness Stress and Health In college students life stress was linked with increased visits to the health center for low fitness students High fitness students handled the stress with less illness Other Factors that affect Health Low Immune Response Factors which can lower the immune response to illness o Depression o Stress o Social problems o Loss of a spouse o Marital problems Lifestyle Factors Lack of Sleep Lack of Exercise Smoking Drinking Drug Abuse Lack of Sleep The vast majority of Americans get too little sleep This is especially true of college students Hopelessness and Risk of Death Lecture Notes Gabriel Psych101 Section 5 Page 7 In Finland middle age men were rated for hopelessness Six years later higher ratings had predicted risk of death cancer and heart attack Social Psychology Outline Definition Social Influence Social Perception Group Processes Relationships Culture Gender Definition The effects of the actual imagined or implied presence of others on affect behavior and cognition Social Influence Obedience Conformity Attitudes and attitude change Cognitive Dissonance Experimenter Prompts Please continue The experiment requires that you continue It is absolutely essential that you continue You