stress

• stress


  a psychobiological experience that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and or efforts to cope
• stressor


  internal or external stimulus that prompts a stress response
• internal stressor


  stimulus from within person's body prompts stress response
• types of internal stressors:

  1. Attitude
  2. Rumination
  3. Low-self esteem
  4. Nervous system dysfunction
• external stressor


  stimulus from outside of the body that prompts stress response
• external stressors examples:

  1. test or exam
  2. meeting new people
  3. arguments
  4. working long hours
  5. financial difficulties
• Distress 


  a form of stress characterised by a negative psychological state.
• Eustress


  a form of stress characterised by a positive psychological state
• acute stress

  intense psychological and physiological brief in duration
• chronic stress


  form of stress that endures for several months or longer.
• cortisol


  hormone, released in times of stress which helps the body initiate and maintain heightened levels of arousal
• Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome

  biological model that explains stress from physiological perspective
• LAZARUS AND FOLKMAN'S TRANSACTIONAL MODEL OF STRESS AND COPING

  stress psychological process cognitive and affective process that is subjective
• appraisal


  assessment or evaluation of stimuli
• primary appraisal

  initial process of evaluating nature of incoming stressor specifically thee kind of stress it may cause
• 3 Types of initial primary appraisal:

  1. BENINGN POSITIVE neutral or good
  2. STRESSFUL source of worry or emotional significance
  3. IRRELEVANT non-issue
• Primary appraisal identifies stimulus as stressful undergoes further types of appraisal:

  1. Harm/Loss having caused damaged and already experiencing distress
  2. Threat potentially causing FUTURE damage, or experience distress
  3. Challenge providing positive opportunity for growth or change
• Secondary appraisal

  evaluation of resources required and available to cope with stressor.
• Emotion- focused coping


  use of coping strategies that target emotional components of stressor, dealing with it indirectly rather than confronting source
• types of emotion-focused coping:

  • wishful thinking
  • denial
  • reframing
  • optimism
  • venting emotions
  • meditation or distraction
• problem- focused coping


  use of coping strategies that directly target the source of stressor, aiming to reduce it in a practical way.
• types of problem-focused coping:

  • seeking info or advice from mental health professionals or people with relevant knowledge
  • taking action
  • time management
• Strengths of Lazarus and Folkman's

  allows one to track the subjective stress response of an individual

  consideration of cognitive process in stress response

  human subjects used as subjects

  same stressor has different effects on different people

  coping stage provides suggestion for dealing with stressor
• limitations of Lazarus and Folkman's:

  • primary and secondary appraisal can occur simultaneously
  • individual may not bee aware off why they experience certain types of stress
  • doesn't include biological processes
  • cannot be easily tested lack of empirical evidence
• STAGES IN GAS:

  1. Shock (sub-stage)
  2. Counter shock (sub-stage)
  3. Alarm reaction
  4. Resistance
  5. Exhaustion
• alarm reaction

  initial decrease, then subsequent increase in bodily arousal
• shock


  decreased bodily arousal, 1st substage of alarm reaction, temporary stage of shock, body falls below normal function: body temp decreases, blood pressure and muscle tonne decrease. ability to deal with stressor decreases
• counter shock


  2nd substage of alarm reaction, sympathetic nervous system responses occur, mobilise body to respond to stressor, heart rate increase, stress hormones secreted, adrenaline, cortisol released into bloodstream, confront & respond to stressor.
• strengths of GAS:

  • Recognises predictable pattern of physiological responses
  • relationship between chronic stress and illness
  • objective empirical information about biological processes involved in stress response
• limitations of GAS:

  • research conducted on rats reduces generalisability to humans
  • only focuses on biological ignores importance of psychological factors (emotion & cognition) in stress response
  • fails to recognise subjective nature of stress response
• Strengths of Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional model of stress and coping:

  • explains subjective nature of stress response
  • explains stress from a psychological perspective
  • human subjects were used in research
• Limitations of Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping:

  • argued that primary and secondary appraisal can occur simultaneously