Psychology: Stressors and Life Changes

Stressors

• Stressors refer to the actual threat or perceived challenge that we're experiencing
• Psychologists have categorized stressors into four major categories:

Significant Life Changes

• Represent significant personal life changes, such as:
  • Death of a loved one
  • Loss of a job
  • Leaving home for the first time to go to college
  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Having children
• The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale considers the effect of 43 different major life stressors and offers a hypothesis about the relative risk for stress-related illness

Catastrophic Events

• Unpredictable, large-scale events that nearly everyone appraises as threatening, such as:
  • War
  • Natural disasters (e.g. tornadoes, hurricanes)
  • Community disasters
• Example: Hurricane Katrina was correlated with nearly a tripled suicide rate for New Orleans four months later

Daily Hassles

• Seemingly minor negative events of daily life, such as:
  • Aggravating roommates
  • Long store lines
  • Forgetting car keys
  • Email spam
  • Finding dog poop on your carpet
• Can be related to socioeconomic status (e.g. inadequate income or unemployment)
• Examples for marginalized groups (e.g. racism) can compound the effects of daily stressors
• Daily hassles are considered by many psychologists to be the most significant form of stress

Ambient Stressors

• Global, physically perceivable but not urgent, and hard to control
• Examples include:
  • Pollution
  • Noise
  • Crowding
• Can negatively impact us without us even being consciously aware of their existence

Stressors

• Stressors are actual threats or perceived challenges that individuals experience.

Categories of Stressors

• Psychologists have categorized stressors into four major categories: Significant Life Changes, Catastrophic Events, Daily Hassles, and Ambient Stressors.

Significant Life Changes

• Represent significant personal life changes that can cause stress.
• Examples include:
  • Death of a loved one
  • Loss of a job
  • Leaving home for the first time to go to college
  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Having children
• The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale considers the effect of 43 major life stressors and their relative risk for stress-related illness.

Catastrophic Events

• Unpredictable, large-scale events that are perceived as threatening.
• Examples include:
  • War
  • Natural disasters (e.g. tornadoes, hurricanes)
  • Community disasters
• Example: Hurricane Katrina was correlated with a nearly tripled suicide rate for New Orleans four months later.

Daily Hassles

• Seemingly minor negative events of daily life that can cause stress.
• Examples include:
  • Aggravating roommates
  • Long store lines
  • Forgetting car keys
  • Email spam
  • Finding dog poop on your carpet
• Daily hassles can be related to socioeconomic status (e.g. inadequate income or unemployment).
• Examples for marginalized groups (e.g. racism) can compound the effects of daily stressors.
• Daily hassles are considered the most significant form of stress by many psychologists.

Ambient Stressors

• Global, physically perceivable but not urgent, and hard to control.
• Examples include:
  • Pollution
  • Noise
  • Crowding
• Ambient stressors can negatively impact individuals without them being consciously aware of their existence.

Stressors

• Stressors are actual threats or perceived challenges that individuals experience.

Categories of Stressors

• Psychologists have categorized stressors into four major categories: Significant Life Changes, Catastrophic Events, Daily Hassles, and Ambient Stressors.

Significant Life Changes

• Represent significant personal life changes that can cause stress.
• Examples include:
  • Death of a loved one
  • Loss of a job
  • Leaving home for the first time to go to college
  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Having children
• The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale considers the effect of 43 major life stressors and their relative risk for stress-related illness.

Catastrophic Events

• Unpredictable, large-scale events that are perceived as threatening.
• Examples include:
  • War
  • Natural disasters (e.g. tornadoes, hurricanes)
  • Community disasters
• Example: Hurricane Katrina was correlated with a nearly tripled suicide rate for New Orleans four months later.

Daily Hassles

• Seemingly minor negative events of daily life that can cause stress.
• Examples include:
  • Aggravating roommates
  • Long store lines
  • Forgetting car keys
  • Email spam
  • Finding dog poop on your carpet
• Daily hassles can be related to socioeconomic status (e.g. inadequate income or unemployment).
• Examples for marginalized groups (e.g. racism) can compound the effects of daily stressors.
• Daily hassles are considered the most significant form of stress by many psychologists.

Ambient Stressors

• Global, physically perceivable but not urgent, and hard to control.
• Examples include:
  • Pollution
  • Noise
  • Crowding
• Ambient stressors can negatively impact individuals without them being consciously aware of their existence.

Stressors

• Stressors are actual threats or perceived challenges that individuals experience.

Categories of Stressors

• Psychologists have categorized stressors into four major categories: Significant Life Changes, Catastrophic Events, Daily Hassles, and Ambient Stressors.

Significant Life Changes

• Represent significant personal life changes that can cause stress.
• Examples include:
  • Death of a loved one
  • Loss of a job
  • Leaving home for the first time to go to college
  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Having children
• The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale considers the effect of 43 major life stressors and their relative risk for stress-related illness.

Catastrophic Events

• Unpredictable, large-scale events that are perceived as threatening.
• Examples include:
  • War
  • Natural disasters (e.g. tornadoes, hurricanes)
  • Community disasters
• Example: Hurricane Katrina was correlated with a nearly tripled suicide rate for New Orleans four months later.

Daily Hassles

• Seemingly minor negative events of daily life that can cause stress.
• Examples include:
  • Aggravating roommates
  • Long store lines
  • Forgetting car keys
  • Email spam
  • Finding dog poop on your carpet
• Daily hassles can be related to socioeconomic status (e.g. inadequate income or unemployment).
• Examples for marginalized groups (e.g. racism) can compound the effects of daily stressors.
• Daily hassles are considered the most significant form of stress by many psychologists.

Ambient Stressors

• Global, physically perceivable but not urgent, and hard to control.
• Examples include:
  • Pollution
  • Noise
  • Crowding
• Ambient stressors can negatively impact individuals without them being consciously aware of their existence.

Homeostasis and Stress Response

• Homeostasis is the body's ability to maintain internal stability in response to environmental changes.
• Walter Cannon coined the term "Fight or Flight Response" to describe the body's response to stressors.

Fight or Flight Response

• The Fight or Flight Response is a homeostatic response to threats or dangers, preparing the body to either fight or flee.
• This response involves the nervous system and endocrine system.
• The sympathetic nervous system initiates the Fight or Flight Response.
• The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary actions, including the sympathetic nervous system.
• The response causes:
  • Increased heart rate to pump blood with oxygen and nutrients.
  • Increased respirations to intake oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.
  • Peripheral vasoconstriction to direct blood to the core and vital organs.
  • Shutdown of non-essential functions, such as digestion and immune function.

Endocrine System's Role in Fight or Flight Response

• The endocrine system supplies hormones that support the sympathetic nervous system.
• The adrenal glands produce hormones that contribute to the Fight or Flight Response.
• The adrenal medulla produces catecholamine hormones, including epinephrine and norepinephrine.
• The adrenal cortex produces glucocorticoids, including cortisol.
• Epinephrine and norepinephrine increase heart rate and blood pressure.
• Cortisol redistributes glucose energy and suppresses the immune system.

Tend and Befriend Response

• The Tend and Befriend Response is an alternative response to stress, characterized by affiliative behavior and social support.
• Oxytocin moderates the stress response and is involved in the Tend and Befriend Response.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

• Hans Selye's research built upon Cannon's work and led to the concept of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).
• GAS describes the body's adaptive response to stress, consisting of three phases:
  • Alarm Phase: initial stress response, characterized by increased heart rate, blood pressure, and resource mobilization.
  • Resistance Phase: the body attempts to fight or flee, with elevated temperature, blood pressure, and breathing rate, and increased stress hormone production.
  • Exhaustion Phase: prolonged stress leads to depleted resources, damage to tissues and muscles, and increased susceptibility to illness.

Consequences of Chronic Stress

• Chronic stress can have damaging effects on the body, including tissue damage, muscle damage, and impaired immunity.
• The body is equipped to handle short-term stress, but prolonged exposure to stress can lead to exhaustion and negative consequences.