Stress and Coping General adaptation syndrome o Three stage physiological stress response that appears regardless of the stressor that is encountered o Hans Selye o Worked with rats and exposed them to stressors o Stressors produced host of similar physical symptoms First comes alarm phase fight or flight body rapidly mobilizes to its resources to respond to the threat activation of sympathetic nervous system first reaction to stressor and resistance diminished Next is the resistance phase body tries to adapt and cope with its stressor by shutting down unnecessary processes such as digestions growth and the sex drive if body individual adapts to stressor then increased resistance occurs Last is the exhaustion phase body s resistance collapses creating damage that can include susceptibility to infection tumor growth aging irreversible organ damage or death alarm reaction sign reappear Type A B personalities o Type A Individual demonstrates a competitive orientations towards achievement a sense of urgency about time and a strong tendency to feel anger and hostility Risk for heart attacks o Type B and hostility o Phony Type Bs Relatively low levels of competitiveness urgency about time People who appear to be Type Bs on surface but underneath they are tense hostile and troubled More risk than Type A for heart attack stress and health o decreased immune function in response to grief o positive life events led to increased immune functions o stress increases spread of cancer o stress of caring for someone with chronic illness delays wound recovery o engage in behaviors that compromise immune function stay up late eat irregular drink more o increases release of hormones that suppress immune function adrenaline cortisol o chronic stress is major contributor to coronary heart disease Hardiness o Thick skinned able to take stress or abuse that could be devastating to others o Sense of commitment o Belief in control o Willing to accept challenge Control o Joseph Brody 2 monkeys executive responds quickly they avoid the electric shock thought being in control led to detrimental health since executives died takes 2 monkey who learned fastest to be in charge so it wasn t random o Weiss Did study with rats and added control group Shock more stressful for rat who depended on executive to stop shock o Langer Rodin 1976 Random assignment of control and non control Given plant and asked to take care of it and chose day for movie night control Non control given plant and nursing home people took care of it and didn t get to chose movie night More death in non control group Social Support o aid gained through interacting with others o women response to stress is to tend and befriend by taking care of people and bringing them together o heart attack victims have slower recoveries if spouse is not supportive o longitudinal study of social connections and mortality individuals w fewer social connections had greater risk of death o Internet usage Gave people internet and computers Internet usage negatively correlated with family interaction Smaller social circle More time online greater the feelings of depression and loneliness Appraisal o primary appraisal interpretation of a stimulus as stressful or not is this important to me o Secondary appraisal determining whether the stressor is something you can handle or not what strategy can I use to maximize positive outcomes and minimize negative outcomes o Threat stressor you believe you might not be able to overcome o Challenge stressor you feel fairly confident you can control Coping strategies o Repressive coping avoiding situations or thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint o Rational coping facing the stressor and working to overcome it Acceptance coming to realize that the stressor exists and cannot be wished away Exposure attending to the stressor thinking about it and even seeking it out your life Understanding working to find the meaning of the stressor in o Reframing finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat o Problem focused coping focus on strategy decisions o Emotion focused coping focus on emotions involved manage strategies o Relaxation technique for reducing tension by consciously relaxing muscles of the body mindfulness meditation teaches individual to be fully present in each moment to become aware of his or her thoughts feelings and sensations detect symptoms before they become a problem Relaxation response condition of reduced muscle tension cortical activity heart rate breathing rate and blood pressure o Meditation practice of internal contemplation a period of quiet improve control over attention o Aerobic exercise exercise that increases heart rate and oxygen intake for a sustained period Effects result from increases in the body s production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin 3 to 4 times a week for 20 30 min effective anti depressant for mild depression Optimism o Thinking optimistically and positively o Rooted in our explanatory styles o Failure seen as global stable internal pessimist o Success seen as external temporary specific pessimist Strategies that can help us stay healthy we didn t discuss this but it is worthwhile knowing o Self regulation o Eating wisely ancestors found it useful to eat well to store calories for leaner times o Avoiding sexual risks Psychological Disorders What defines a psychological disorder o A persistent disturbance or dysfunction in behavior thoughts or emotions that causes significant distress or impairment o Barron thought and behavior that is maladaptive and causes the individual distress Abnormal deviates from the norm Maladaptive behavior is disruptive Personal distress Theoretical explanations for why disorders occur o Biological Approach Abnormal behavior results from some physical dysfunction Medical model abnormal psychological experiences are conceptualized as illnesses that like physical illnesses have biological and environmental causes defined symptoms and possible cures o Psychological Approaches Disorders are result of past and present life experiences Psychodynamic intrapsychic conflict Behavioral abnormal behavior is learned Cognitive distorted thinking o Sociocultural approach Psychological disorders occur within the context of society Pibloktoq artic subarctic regions period of agitation frenzy collapse into coma no memory of disturbance o Interactionist Approach Diathesis stress