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.

This quiz explores the concepts of cognitive appraisal and the body's response to stress as outlined in psychology. Key topics include primary and secondary appraisal, general adaptation syndrome, and the physiological processes involved in the stress response. Test your knowledge on how individuals perceive and react to stressors.