Psychology Chapter: Cognitive Appraisal & Stress

Cognitive Appraisal: Assessing Stress

• Stress is any stimulus that we perceive as challenging or threatening
• Primary appraisal is the initial interpretation of an event
• Secondary appraisal is the evaluation of an event after the initial appraisal
• Secondary appraisal can be either positive or negative
• Threatening events are perceived as harm in the future
• Challenge appraisal typically elicits positive emotions and is perceived as less stressful

The Body's Response to Stress

• The general adaptation syndrome is the body's response to stress, divided into three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
• The alarm reaction is the immediate bodily response to a stressor, activating the sympathetic nervous system and causing the release of hormones from the adrenal gland

Alarm Reaction and the HPA Axis

• The alarm reaction is triggered directly after the initial primary appraisal
• The distress signal is sent to the hypothalamus, which activates the sympathetic nervous system
• The adrenal gland secretes stress hormones adrenaline and corticosteroids
• The pituitary secretes endorphins to help the body cope with stress
• The HPA axis is the interaction between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland

Biological Pathway of the Stress Response – The HPA Axis

• The HPA axis is triggered by stress, which activates the hypothalamus and pituitary gland
• The pituitary gland releases ACTH into the bloodstream
• ACTH stimulates the adrenal gland to release corticosteroids and adrenaline
• The release of hormones causes various physiological changes, such as accelerated heart rate and increased blood pressure, to prepare the body to respond to a threat.

Chapter Objectives: What Is Stress?

• Understand the four types of stressors: life events, catastrophes and trauma, daily hassles, and conflict
• Understand the concept of resilience and factors that influence it
• Understand the four types of conflict situations: approach approach, avoidance avoidance, approach avoidance, and multiple approach avoidance
• Understand the HPA axis and how the body responds to stress, including its variations in males and females
• Understand how stress influences immunity
• Understand the difference between problem focused and emotion focused coping, and give examples of each
• Describe positive and adaptive ways to manage and cope with stress, and how these techniques influence the stress response, one’s health and well-being.

What Is Stress?

• Stress is the reaction to a stressor, a stimulus that is perceived as challenging or threatening
• Life events are any events, good or bad, that require adjustment

Catastrophes and Trauma

• Catastrophes are sudden unexpected events requiring high levels of adaptation
• Trauma is an event that causes psychological distress
• Examples of trauma include PTSD, rape trauma syndrome, and COVID stress syndrome

Daily Hassles

• Daily hassles are events that contribute to health and life satisfaction
• Women are more likely to report financial issues, being overwhelmed with tasks, health concerns, and difficulty relaxing
• Younger people report more daily hassles, and perceive them as more stressful.
• Wealthier people report more control over their lives and report having more fun
• African Americans are more likely to report economic hassles, exposure to noise, loneliness, and invasion of personal privacy
• Hispanic Americans are more likely to report problems with aging parents
• Acculturative stress is the difficulty associated with adapting to a new culture

Resilience

• Resilience is adapting to stressors and bouncing back from adversity
• Biopsychosocial factors influence resilience including temperament, internal locus of control, social support, and optimism
• Shift and persist strategies are helpful for navigating stressful situations

Conflict

• There are four common conflict situations:
  • Approach-approach conflicts involve choosing between two positive events
  • Avoidance-avoidance conflicts involve choosing between two negative events
  • Approach-avoidance conflicts involve choices with both positive and negative qualities
  • Multiple approach-avoidance conflicts involve multiple choices, each with both positive and negative qualities

Coping with Stress

• Coping is the active effort to deal with the effects of stress
• Problem-focused coping focuses on changing the situation to manage the source of the stress

Emotion-Focused Coping

• Emotion-focused coping involves adjusting our reactions to stressors
• Cognitive reappraisal involves changing our interpretation of an event to reduce stress

Managing Stress: Applying the Research

• Strategies to help reduce stress include exercise and meditation, relaxation, social support, spirituality, guided imagery, optimism, and time management

Defense Mechanisms

• Defense mechanisms are unconscious emotional strategies that reduce anxiety and maintain a positive self-image.