Health Psychology Study Unit 10.1

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Questions and Answers

What is the role of appraisal in determining stress according to Lazarus and Folkman's theory?

Appraisal evaluates the effectiveness of coping strategies.

Appraisal eliminates the perception of stress altogether.

Appraisal determines the individual's perception of the stressor. (correct)

Appraisal is irrelevant in stressful situations.

Which of the following best describes primary appraisal in Lazarus and Folkman's theory?

Determining how stress affects physical health.

Evaluating available resources for coping with stress.

Assessing the emotional impact of a stressful event.

Evaluating the meaning and potential threat of the event. (correct)

What happens when the perceived threat exceeds one's coping resources according to the psychological theory of stress?

The individual is likely to feel less stress.

The individual will likely ignore the stressor.

The stress response is activated. (correct)

The individual may experience growth and resilience.

Which of the following components was criticized as missing in Selye's model of stress?

The psychological component of stress. Signup and view all the answers

What does the concept of 'perceived stress' entail?

A subjective evaluation that depends on one's appraisal. Signup and view all the answers

What is health psychology primarily concerned with?

The connections among behavior, cognition, and physical health Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines stress as described in the content?

A physiological response to an environmental event perceived as taxing Signup and view all the answers

What term is used to describe the stimuli that can cause stress?

Stressors Signup and view all the answers

What psychological condition is most likely to cause increased stress?

Uncertainty in a situation Signup and view all the answers

What type of interventions can help in managing stress according to health psychology?

Psychological forms of intervention Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about stress is NOT true?

Stress can only occur in response to external events. Signup and view all the answers

What contributes to the perception of stress in people?

Concerns about negative evaluation by others Signup and view all the answers

How has the field of health psychology evolved over time?

It has emerged as an interdisciplinary field in the last 50 years. Signup and view all the answers

What primarily distinguishes the biomedical model from the biopsychosocial model?

Explanation of illness through biological factors only Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?

A physiological response to stress comprising three distinct stages Signup and view all the answers

What role does the parasympathetic nervous system play after the fight or flight response?

Restores the body's systems to normal levels Signup and view all the answers

Which stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is characterized by intense physiological efforts to cope with stressors?

Resistance Stage Signup and view all the answers

Who is associated with coining the term 'stress' within the context of physiological responses?

Hans Selye Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors is NOT considered in the biopsychosocial model of mental health?

Economic factors Signup and view all the answers

What physiological changes occur during the Alarm Stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome?

Increased heart rate and blood pressure Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about stress based on General Adaptation Syndrome?

Stress affects everyone in the same way Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Announcements

Today's announcements include:
- Health & Stress Applied Activity, due Wednesday, November 27th, at 11:59 pm.
- Quiz 6 on Social Psychology, closing Wednesday, December 1st, at 11:59 pm.
Next week's schedule includes:
- Classes Monday, December 2nd
- Classes Wednesday, December 4th
- Classes Thursday, December 5th (Monday classes make up for Remembrance Day).

Health & Stress Part 1

Students are asked to discuss what causes the most stress in their lives as students.
Students are also prompted to describe how they manage stress in their lives.

Study Unit 10.1: What is Health Psychology?

Humans have always sought to understand what makes people sick and healthy.
Early explanations viewed health as stemming from external forces, like divine punishment for poor health and harmony with the world for good health.

Study Unit 10.1: What is Health Psychology? (2)

Health Psychology is an interdisciplinary field focusing on the links between behavior, cognition, and physical health.
The field has emerged in the last 50 years.

The study of health & stress

Health Psychology examines the relationship between psychological factors and physical health issues, including prevention and treatment.
Psychological factors like stress, behaviors, and attitudes can cause or worsen illnesses.
People can cope with stress.
Psychological interventions can contribute to physical health.

What are Stressors?

Stressful events are called stressors.
Stressors are stimuli that affect organisms in physically or psychologically harmful ways.

Stress is therefore really the...

Stress is the balance between situational demands and available resources for coping.

Study Unit 10.3: What is Stress?

Stress is a physiological response to a perceived environmental event that exceeds one's ability to adapt physiologically and psychologically.
Stress has physiological, environmental, and subjective components.
Researchers struggle to isolate factors that make situations stressful.

Study Unit 10.3: What is Stress? (2)

Stress is most likely experienced when there is uncertainty, a lack of control, or concern that others will evaluate or treat us negatively.

The study of health & stress (2):

Biomedical model: This view focuses on illness rather than health, explaining illness in terms of biological factors.
Biopsychosocial model: This model considers biological, psychological, and social factors in health and illness.

Study Unit 10.3: What is Stress? (Part 3)

The key to understanding stress is appraisal,
This is how one evaluates a situation based on whether they perceive it to be a threat they can overcome or one they cannot

The biopsychosocial model of mental health

This perspective encompasses biological factors (genetics, disease, and diet/exercise), psychological considerations (thoughts, emotions, and behaviors), and social aspects (family, traditions, and culture).

Biopsychosocial model of mental health (part 2)

Factors that favor health and well-being include self-regulation, stress management, healthy lifestyle choices , relationships, and positive coping mechanisms.
Factors that work against health and well-being include loneliness, poverty, violence, depression and anxiety

Theories of Stress

This section investigates the causes and origins of stress.

Fight or flight response

Proposed by Walter Cannon in 1932.
The sympathetic nervous system and endocrine glands prepare the body to fight or flee from perceived threats
Following this response, the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to normal physiological states.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye (1920s) observed that rats exposed to stress had similar physiological responses.
Stress is nonspecific; it affects health.
It involves three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) (Part 2)

The stages of GAS describe a broad, physiological response to a threat that encompasses three distinct stages. These are: Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

GAS Stages

Alarm stage: Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Provides energy to cope with the stressor
Resistance stage: Intense physiological efforts to adapt or resist the stressor.
Exhaustion stage: Occurs when the body fails in its efforts to cope with the stressor.

GAS: The Missing Factor

Selye's theory focused on the intensity of the stressor rather than the individual's reaction.
Critics argued that Selye's model lacked the psychological appraisal component -how a person perceives and evaluates stressors.

Appraisal

The ability to perceive or judge a situation as stressful is crucial for stress to occur.
Perceived stress is a subjective evaluation of events.
Stress appraisal theory explains how an individual's perception and role in an event shape the emotional experience.

Appraisal (part 2)

Richard Lazarus' work expanded on cognitive appraisal.
People must negotiate between environmental demands and personal beliefs/behaviors to cope with stress.

Lazarus & Folkman's Psychological Theory of Stress

The theory states that stress isn't caused by the stressor itself, but by an individual's appraisal of it.
Primary appraisal: Evaluating the meaning and threat level of a stressful event.
Secondary appraisal: Assessing resources available to cope with a stressful event.
If the perceived threat exceeds the ability to cope, a stress response ensues.

L&F's Psychological Theory of Stress (Part 2)

Primary appraisal: Evaluating a potentially stressful event as negative, positive or neutral.
Secondary appraisal: Assessing coping resources to deal with the event.
The body will respond physiologically, emotionally, and behaviorally to stress level.

Appraisal: Stress Lies in the Eye of the Beholder

Primary appraisal: Perceiving a situation as relevant and threatening, or irrelevant and harmless.
Secondary appraisal: Assessing coping resources to deal with the perceived threat.
If coping resources are deemed adequate the situation is not stressful. If they are not adequate then stress occurs.

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Description

Explore the foundations of Health Psychology in this quiz. Delve into various factors influencing health and stress, and discuss strategies for stress management. This unit provides insights into the historical perspectives of health and its relation to external forces.