Download Understanding Stress and Its Impact on Health: A Comprehensive Guide - Prof. E. Geller and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! 05/03/2011 Chapter 13: Health and Stress Psychological stressors can diminish the body’s ability to fight disease Stress- any event or circumstance that strains or exceeds an individuals ability to cope Leading causes of death and disability (heart disease and stroke) are linked to stress Sources of stress Life Events Psychologically significant events that occur in a person’s life, such as divorce, childbirth, employment- they require adjustment and coping o Violence, war, and sexual assault o Loss of a family member o Natural disasters o Terrorism o Daily hassles o Positive life events- college graduation, childbirth, job promotion Frustration The result of being unable to satisfy a motive Conflict The state in which two or more motives cannot be satisfied because they interfere with one another o Approach and avoidance- “approach” things that we want and “avoid” things that we do not want o 1. Approach-avoid conflict the individual must choose between two positive goals of equal value ex. Two good job offerings o 2. Avoidance-avoidance conflict the individual must choose between two or more negative outcomes ex. Pain of tooth or discomfort of going to dentist o 3. Approach-avoidance conflict conflict in which achieving a positive goal will produce a negative outcome as well ex. College acceptance in another state approach- avoid when time is greater, then avoid- approach as time grows closer together o 4. Multiple approach-avoidance conflict conflict that requires the individual to chose between two alternatives, each of which contains both positive and negative consequences ex: receiving a scholarship from a well known college team but you hate the coach and receiving a scholarship from a 3-d school but you love the coach Pressure Stress that arises from the threat of negative events o Ex: doing well in school to avoid failure Environmental Conditions Temperature, noise, air pollution, humidity can affect levels of stress General Aspects of Stress Reactions 1. We react to stress as a whole, stress produces psychological and physiological reactions 2. Our psychological and bodily reactions to stress are highly similar, a general reaction to all types of stress occurs Physical Reactions to Stress and Health The General Adaption Syndrome The mobilization of he body to ward off threats, characterized by a 3-stage pattern of the alarm reaction, the resistance stage, and the exhaustion stage o Alarm reaction Prepares body for a physical struggle Increased heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, increased blood sugar o Resistance Stage Resistance to stress is high If new stress is encountered, the body is able to deal w it o (according to Freud) the unrealistic strategies used by the ego to discharge tension o Displacement, Sublimation, Projection, Reaction formation, Regression, Rationalization, Repression, Denial, Intellectualization Changing Health-Related Behavior Patterns Learning to Relax Progressive Relaxation Training- a method of learning to deeply relax the muscles of the body Eating right, Exercising, and Doing what the Doctor Ordered Improving Eating Habits BMI- Body Mass Index- ratio of a person’s weight to height 1. Have reasonable goals 2. Don’t “Diet” 3. Eat Differently 4. Don’t give up because of lapses in your healthy lifestyle 5. Emphasize Exercise
