Psychology Chapter on Stress and Illness

Questions and Answers

What does infection refer to?

An invasion of the body by a harmful microorganism that creates a pathological condition.

What is the Sick role?

The Sick role involves illness behavior where people evaluate symptoms, seek medical care, and look for support from others when feeling ill.

Sickness is a synonym for illness.

True

Which of the following factors can cause diseases?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What did Holmes and Rahe create to study the relationship between stress and illness?

The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS). Signup and view all the answers

The Bedford College Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) uses a checklist for assessment.

False Signup and view all the answers

According to Lazarus and colleagues, what plays a more significant role in illness than life change events?

Daily hassles Signup and view all the answers

The acronym SRRS stands for the Social __________ Rating Scale.

Readjustment Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Illness

Infection is the invasion by harmful microorganisms, leading to pathological conditions known as diseases (e.g., the common cold).
Diseases can result from viruses, genetic factors, or environmental influences.
Illness (or sickness) refers to the unhealthy state resulting from diseases.
The immune system serves as the body’s defense against infections.
The sick role encompasses behaviors such as evaluating symptoms, seeking medical care, and requiring empathy from others.
Increased attention, care, or relief from responsibilities during illness can provide rewards, termed secondary gains.

The Life Events Model of Stress and Illness

Holmes and Rahe (1967) developed the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) to explore the relationship between stress and illness.
The SRRS categorizes stressors as positive or negative life events that necessitate adaptation; uses life change units (LCUs) to assess the impact of different events.
Critiques of the SRRS prompted the creation of various alternative scales, highlighting methodological issues such as reliance on retrospective self-reports.
Potential problems include overlapping items with illnesses and the influence of negative affectivity on responses.
Establishing consistent links between life changes and illness remains challenging; more objective methods, such as blood tests, are encouraged.
The Bedford College Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) employs semi-structured interviews and trained raters to evaluate long-term threats of events in context.
Disadvantages of LEDS include the necessity for trained personnel, a consensus analysis by a panel, and the associated costs and time requirements.

Daily Hassles Model

Research by Lazarus and colleagues indicates that daily hassles (e.g., waiting in line, traffic, noise) significantly impact illness compared to major life events.
This model faces methodological challenges similar to the life events model, particularly in how neuroticism affects self-reports on hassles.
Current research employs hassles scales to study the effects of everyday stressors on various health conditions, including asthma.

Description

Explore the intricate relationships between stress and illness in this quiz. Delve into research strategies, the life events model, and daily hassles that impact our immune system. Strengthen your understanding of how stress affects health and well-being.