Transcript Memory

STRESS AND HEALTH
Year 12 Psychology Unit 4
Area of Study 2 (chapter 12, page 582)
STRESS & HEALTH

Stress: state of physiological and psychological
arousal produced by internal or external stressors.
Perception that the individual cannot cope or that the
challenge of the stressor exceeds ability.
 Stress is highly subjective (depends on our personal
interpretation of the event or situation).

Stressor: Anything that causes stress (e.g. a
person, event, item etc.).
 Stress Response: ‘reaction’ to a stressor, involving
both physiological and psychological changes.
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Mild: can be stimulating and exhilarating.
Acute: suddenly produces very high arousal level.
Chronic: produces high arousal level that persist for a
long period of time.
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO STRESS

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Fight-Flight Response: involuntary reaction resulting in
state of readiness to ‘fight’ or ‘flee’.
Therefore, an organism deals with a physical or
psychological threatening situation by confronting (fight)
or running away (flight)
First identified by American doctor Walter Cannon in the
1930s:
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Response involves sympathetic NS and endocrine (hormone)
system.
Response occurs under the Autonomic NS:
Sympathetic branch controls arousal, fight or flight response /
fires us up. Release of adrenaline, heart up, breathing up etc.
 Parasympathetic branch calms the body back down, keeps it
at a stable level.

Adaptive response that occurs automatically to maximise our
chances for survival in a threatening situation.
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES
TO STRESS: HPA AXIS

Activity: 12.1
Stressor is identified, hypothalamus activates:
Hypothalamus then activates the Pituitary Gland
which releases ACTH (adrenocorticotropic);
 ACTH travels through bloodstream to Adrenal Glands
above the kidneys, triggering release of adrenaline,
noradrenaline and cortisol;
 Triggered hormones boost sympathetic NS activity
(increase heart rate, blood pressure, etc.);
 Cortisol increases metabolism & glucose concentration
in bloodstream to make fuel available to body.
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Cortisol and noradrenaline in high concentrations for
prolonged time can effect immune function, so people
are more susceptible to illness/disease.
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES
TO STRESS: HPA AXIS
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES
TO STRESS: NERVOUS SYSTEM FUNCTIONS
Body Resources
Impacts
Heart Rate
Pumps more oxygen through blood
Respiration Rate
More oxygen travelling through blood to
the body
Pupil dilation (expand)
More light entering the eye results in
better eye sight
Sweat secretion
Cools body
Energy
Liver releases more glucose to muscles
Salivation
No food therefore salivation isn’t needed
Digestion
Energy is redirected to extremities
Increased
Decreased
EUSTRESS VS. DISTRESS
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Activity: 12.4
Eustress:
Positive psychological response to a stressor;
 E.g. nervous ‘butterflies’ before a first date or the buzz
of riding on a rollercoaster.
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Distress:
Negative psychological response to a stressor;
 E.g. feeling sick after a break-up or the fear associated
with watching horror movies.

Eustress/Distress is subjective.
 Some stress can be good for us:
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Drives us to excel, raises our alertness, fires us up etc.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
RESPONSES TO STRESS
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Activity: 12.6
NOT involuntary (unlike physiological) – we
usually have control over them, depending on the
individual.
Behavioural changes: shaky voice, hand tremors,
muscle stiffness, strained expressions, ‘jumpiness’.
 Emotional changes: anxious, tense, depressed,
angry, helplessness, ‘trapped’.
 Cognitive changes: distorted perception, difficulty
concentrating or making decisions, forgetful.
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Catastrophising: overemphasising the negative, ‘glass
half empty’ thinking.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS
OF THE STRESS RESPONSE
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Coping with a stressor can depend on:
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Individual’s appraisal of the situation (hopeless?);
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Prior experience with stressors;
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Motivation, attitudes, self-esteem, general outlook;
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Personality, coping skills;
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Perception of how much control we have in situation.
Stress is in the eye of the beholder.
LAZARUS & FOLKMAN’S
TRANSACTIONAL MODEL
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Stress involves a transaction/encounter between
the individual and the external environment.
Stress response depends on the individual’s
interpretation/appraisal of the stressor and their
own ability to cope with it.
Stress response can also occur if appraisal does not
match the individual’s actual ability to cope.
LAZARUS & FOLKMAN’S
TRANSACTIONAL MODEL
Primary appraisal
 Judge the significance of the situation:
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Is it irrelevant, benign-positive or stressful?
If deemed to be stressful, do additional appraisals:
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Harm/loss (how much damage has already occurred);
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Threat (what harm/loss could occur in the future);
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Have I already lost my job?
I might not be able to afford rent.
Challenge (potential for personal gain/growth);
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I’ll get another job and learn how to budget effectively.
LAZARUS & FOLKMAN’S
TRANSACTIONAL MODEL
Secondary appraisal
 Evaluate our coping options & the
internal/external resources available to us:
Reappraisal - Going back over an earlier stressor to
determine if it warrants further attention.
 Coping - Changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to
meet stressors; An attempt to manage demands of
stressors.
 Problem focused coping – Manage or change the
cause of the problem (i.e. the stressor).
 Emotion focused coping - Strategies to deal with
emotional responses to stress.
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TRANSACTIONAL MODEL:
STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS
Strengths
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Focus on individuality of
stress response.
Allows for changes to
stressors (& thus our
responses) over time.
Enhances and
emphasises importance
of stress-management
strategies (to deal with
psychological
responses).
Activity: 12.8
Limitations
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Difficult to test through
experimental research
(highly subjective).
Debate over whether
conscious appraisal is
required to experience
stress (person could feel
‘on edge’ well before
consciously thinking
about a stressor).
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE
THE STRESS RESPONSE
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Social, cultural & environmental factors:

Typically overlap and combine to influence the stress
response.
SOCIAL FACTORS
THAT INFLUENCE STRESS
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Relationships, lack of social skills, lack of support,
bullied, discrimination, etc.
Social Readjustment: the amount of change in
lifestyle after a specific event.
Large changes can cause stress.
 Not all events are universally stressful.
 It does depend on the persons perception and
circumstances.
 E.g. Leaving an abusive marriage would be less
stressful than remaining married.
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See Table 12.3, Pg. 603
CULTURAL FACTORS
THAT INFLUENCE STRESS
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Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers.
Acculturation: adapting to the values, customs
and language of a new culture.
Entering a new culture at a lower socioeconomic
level, trouble preserving old values.
 Refugees – post traumatic stress.
 Racism - clear link to mental health problems in
targets.
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See Table 12.4, Pg. 605
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
THAT INFLUENCE STRESS
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Crowding, loud noise, air pollution, extreme
temperatures, natural disasters.
Crowding is linked to the stress response.
 Crowding is a subjective experience.
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Personal space is important:
loved ones < 50cm
 Good friends 50 – 150 cm
 Strangers > 150 cm
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CROWDING…
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
THAT INFLUENCE STRESS
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Calhoun’s Research (1962):
Mice in a large enclosure, plenty of space, food etc.
 Mice displayed normal social behaviour, mating etc.
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Population doubled every 55 days.
 Mice in overcrowded enclosure showed maladaptive
behaviours:
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Aggression and even cannibalism;
 Hyperactivity or lethargy;
 Mothers attacked their young, stopped breeding.
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ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
THAT INFLUENCE STRESS
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Calhoun’s Research: Results.
Calhoun concluded that the mice were stressed
because of the crowded conditions.
 Experiment was limited because mice could not
report on their subjective experiences.

Difficult to test on humans (unethical to test beyond
short time periods and often ‘artificial’).
 One method is to compare otherwise similar groups of
people who live in crowded/non-crowded conditions.
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ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
THAT INFLUENCE STRESS
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Activity: 12.10
Human Crowding: Results.
No clear link between crowding and stress.
 Difficult to control extraneous variables ethically.
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Self-report does clearly show a correlation between
overcrowding and stress.
 Does depend on the situation and the individual
involved.
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Being mentally prepared for crowding seems to help
some people.
ALLOSTASIS
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The body’s ability to maintain physiological stability by
changing to meet internal and external demands.
NOT homeostasis where balance is maintained by
keeping internal functioning constant.
Emphasis that healthy functioning requires constant
physiological fluctuation.
Achieved through the brain regulating the HPA, ANS
and cardiovascular system.
HPA and sympathetic arousal most common response.
Turned on when needed and then turned off when the
threat has passed.
ALLOSTATIC LOAD
Activity: 12.11
Prolonged arousal can lead to wear and tear on the
body.
 Increased secretion of adrenal hormones can
damage cardiovascular and immune systems.
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Caused by frequent stressors or perhaps one
stressor that is not alleviated.
See Figure 12.22, Pg. 614 (plus paragraph above)
for example of Allostatic Load + Biopsychosocial.
STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH STRESS
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Biofeedback: technique that can teach people how
to recognise & control specific physiological
responses.
Feedback on a bodily response, e.g. beep when heart
beats;
 Subjects can learn to control response using
biofeedback and relaxation techniques.
 Often doesn’t work outside of a lab setting.
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Meditation: conscious internal attempt to bring
about a deeply relaxed state
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Relaxation: Any activity (physical or psychological)
that reduces tension.
STRATEGIES FOR
COPING WITH STRESS
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Activity: 12.13
Exercise:
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Promotes social interaction;
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Uses up stress hormones secreted by HPA;
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Releases tension in muscles;
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Releases endorphins (pleasure-related
neurotransmitters).
STRATEGIES FOR
COPING WITH STRESS
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Activity: 12.14
Social Support:
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Help or assistance from others when needed.
Appraisal support: improves understanding of the
situation.
 Tangible assistance: material support, financial,
food, goods etc.
 Information support: ideas on how to cope.
 Emotional support: targets emotional reactions by
the individual, reassures the individual that they are
cared for and valued.

NOW WHAT…?

Complete the Chapter 12 activities highlighted
throughout these slides.

Complete the Chapter 12 True/False Quiz (pg. 625).

Complete the Chapter 12 Test (pg. 626).

Put your left hand in… put your left hand out… put
your left hand in… shake it all about…!