Stress, Health, and Adjustment

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Chapter 10

• Stress, Health, and Adjustment

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Stress

• Stress is the demand made on an organism to
  adapt, cope, or adjust.
• Some stress is healthful (eustress).
• Intense of prolonged stress can harm the body.

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Daily Hassles

• Daily hassles are regularly occurring conditions
  and experiences that can threaten or harm our
  well-being.
• Examples
• Household
• Health
• Time-pressure
• Environmental
• Financial
• Work
• Linked to nervousness, worrying, inability to get
  started, feelings of sadness, and feelings of
  loneliness.

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Life Changes

• Life changes require adjustment. Even positive
  ones can lead to headaches, high blood pressure,
  and other health problems.
• Life changes differ from daily hassles in two key
  ways
• Many life changes are positive and desirable.
  Hassles are negative.
• Hassles occur regularly. Life changes occur at
  irregular intervals.
• Example of life change death of a spouse is
  considered the most stressful life change.

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CONTROVERSY IN PSYCHOLOGY Just How Are Daily
Hassles and Life Changes Connected With Health
Problems?

• It may appear obvious that hassles and life
  changes should cause health problems.
• But some researchers are not convinced that the
  causal connections are there.
• Correlational evidence.
• Positive versus negative life changes.
• Personality differences.
• Cognitive appraisal.
• Optimism also helps people cope with the effects
  of stress.

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Conflict

• Conflict is the feeling of being pulled in two or
  more directions by opposing motives.
• Conflict is frustrating and stressful.
• There are four types of conflicts
• Approach-approach
• Avoidance-avoidance
• Approach-avoidance
• Multiple approach-avoidance.

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Types of Conflict

• Approach-approach conflict.
• The least stressful type.
• Each of two goals is desirable and both are
  within reach.
• Avoidance-avoidance conflict.
• More stressful.
• A person is motivated to avoid each of two
  negative goals. Avoiding one of them requires
  approaching the other.

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Types of Conflict

• Approach-avoidance conflict.
• The same goal produces both approach and
  avoidance motives.
• Pluses and minuses, good points and bad points.
• Multiple approach-avoidance conflict.
• Each of several alternative courses of action has
  pluses and minuses.
• Decision making can also be stressful especially
  when there is no clear correct choice.

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Irrational Beliefs

• Ellis notes that our beliefs about events as well
  as the events themselves can be stressors.
• Elliss A-B-C approach.
• A is the activating event.
• B is the belief.
• C is the consequence.
• Ellis proposes that many of us carry with us
  irrational beliefs doorways to distress.

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The Type A Behavior Pattern

• Type A people are
• Highly driven
• Competitive
• Impatient
• Aggressive
• Feel rushed and under pressure
• Find it difficult to give up control or power
• Type B people in contrast are
• Relaxed
• More focused on the quality of life
• Less ambitious and less impatient.

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Psychological Moderators of Stress

• Self-efficacy
• Expectations affect our ability to withstand
  stress.
• People who are self-confident are less prone to
  be disturbed by adverse events.

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Psychological Moderators of Stress

• Psychological Hardiness
• Psychological hardiness also helps people resist
  stress and live longer, happier lives.
• Characteristics include
• High in commitment.
• High in challenge.
• High in perceived control.
• Hardy people are high in internal locus of
  control.

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Psychological Moderators of Stress

• Sense of Humor
• Feelings of happiness may have beneficial effects
  on the immune system.
• Humor can moderate the effects of stress.
• Laughter stimulates the output of endorphins.

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Psychological Moderators of Stress

• Predictability and Control.
• The ability to predict a stressor apparently
  moderates its impact.
• Control and even the illusion of control can
  moderate impact.

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Psychological Moderators of Stress

• Social Support
• seems to act as a buffer against the effects of
  stress.
• Sources of social support include
• Emotional concern.
• Instrumental aid.
• Information.
• Appraisal.
• Socializing.

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Stress and the Body

• The General Adaptation Syndrome.
• The general adaptation syndrome was proposed by
  Selye.
• The syndrome is a cluster of bodily changes that
  occur in three stages
• Alarm
• Resistance
• Exhaustion

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Stress and the Body

• The Alarm Reaction.
• The alarm reaction is triggered by perception of
  a stressor.
• The reaction mobilizes or arouses the body.
• This mobilization is the basis for the
  instinctive fight-or-flight reaction.
• The alarm reaction involves the sympathetic
  division of the ANS.

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Stress and the Body

• The Resistance Stage.
• If the stressor isnt removed we enter the
  adaptation or resistance stage.
• The body attempts to restore lost energy and
  repair bodily damage.

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Stress and the Body

• The Exhaustion Stage.
• If the stressor isnt dealt with we may enter the
  exhaustion stage.
• The body is depleted of the resources required
  for combating stress.
• Symptoms may include allergies, coronary heart
  disease, death.
• Stress suppresses the immune system!

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Psychology and Health Headaches,
Cardiovascular Disorders, Cancer, and Sexually
Transmitted Infections

• Biological factors such as
• pathogens, inoculations, injuries, age, gender,
  and a family history of disease may be the most
  obvious cause of disease.
• Genes only create the predisposition toward the
  health problem.
• Many health problems are affected by
  psychological factors, such as attitudes,
  emotions, and behavior.
• Stopping smoking, eating right, exercising and
  controlling alcohol use would prevent a number of
  types of deaths.

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Figure 10.4 Factors in Health and Illness Various
factors figure in to a persons state of health
or illness. Which of the factors in this figure
are you capable of controlling? Which are beyond
your control?