Understanding Stress and Stressors

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is the first stage of cognitive appraisal related to stress?

Seeking social support

Evaluating the threat (correct)

Determining if sufficient resources are available

Assuming control over the situation

How do individuals with hardiness typically respond to stressors?

They view stressors as challenges. (correct)

They avoid confronting the stressors.

They generally experience more illness.

They feel helpless in stressful situations.

What is an example of emotion-focused coping?

Learning new skills to deal with workplace stress

Finding a new job for personal fulfillment

Seeking comfort from friends (correct)

Creating a detailed stress management plan

What effect does perceived control have on stress levels?

It produces less signs of stress. Signup and view all the answers

Which coping strategy is appropriate when a problem has a potential solution?

Problem-focused coping Signup and view all the answers

What does cognitive reappraisal involve?

Re-evaluating the stressor as less threatening Signup and view all the answers

How is social support beneficial in coping with stress?

It provides learning opportunities from others. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the progressive relaxation technique?

To replace stress reactions with relaxation responses Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of stress?

A physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral response to perceived threats. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of an approach-avoidance choice?

Deciding to visit a friend while being afraid of her dog. Signup and view all the answers

Which stage of Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome describes the body's initial response to a stressor?

Alarm Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential criticism of Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome?

It assumes uniform responses to stress across different individuals. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes a stressor?

It can be any event perceived as a threat or challenge. Signup and view all the answers

In the resistance stage of Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome, what begins to occur?

The body adapts and utilizes energy reserves. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of stressor involves options that are both undesirable?

Avoidance-avoidance Signup and view all the answers

How does the anticipation of a stressor differ from the stress response itself?

Anticipation can influence one's stress response level. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Stress and Stressors

Stress is a physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral response to real or perceived threats or challenges.
Stressors are events or circumstances (or unrealistic thoughts), that trigger stress. Not all stressors are negative (e.g., sports competition), the impact depends on the circumstances.
Walter Cannon described the "fight or flight" response, a physiological reaction to perceived danger.

Stress Scale

The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale (43 items) is used to measure stress levels.
Scoring from 11-150 indicates low to moderate risk of illness
Scoring from 150-299 indicates moderate to high risk of illness
Scoring from 300-600 indicates high or very high risk of illness

Sources of Stress: Routine Choices

Choices about how to do something and when can be stressful.
Apporach-Apporach: choosing between two desirable outcomes (e.g., short-term vs. long-term rewards).
Approach-Avoidance: one outcome is desirable, the other is not.

Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Alarm: Initial shock phase, the body's first reaction to a stressful event, or "fight or flight."
Resistance: Continued exposure leads to adaptation, body starts using energy reserves from the alarm reaction
Exhaustion: Physiologic resources are depleted; adaptation is lost leading to exhaustion.

Criticism of Selye's GAS

Underestimated the role of psychological factors (e.g., cognitive appraisal).
Assumed uniform responses to stress, neglecting individual differences.
Failed to consider the specificity of challenges.
Assessed stress as just an outcome, ignoring the anticipation of stressful events.

Cognitive Appraisal

Robert Lazarus suggests that our own interpretations of events affect our stress response.
Stage 1: Evaluating the threat, if seen as real, then goes to stage 2
Stage 2: Assessing available resources to cope with the threat. (Individual differences exist here).

Receiving help from others can be beneficial in dealing with stress.
Social support lets individuals learn how others have coped with similar stressors, receive encouragement and incentives.
Empirical evidence on the impact of social support is mixed. Brown et al. (2003) found mixed results on social contact and support affecting mortality

Coping with Stress & Coping Strategies

Coping: different ways of dealing with stressors.
Lazarus & Folkman (1984): Identified two types of coping: problem-focused (addressing the source of the stress) and emotion-focused (dealing with the emotional response to the stressor).
Cognitive Reappraisal: re-evaluating a stressor to lessen its threat.
Progressive Relaxation: Substituting incompatible responses (e.g., relaxing) for stress responses

Other Coping Strategies

Disclosure interventions: writing about stressful experiences.
Hypnosis: and Conditioning Interventions: both have mixed evidence on their effectiveness in coping with stress.
Social Support: can be helpful
Hardiness: Some individuals view stressors as challenges and have high control over their response.

Coping Strategies Effectiveness

Numerous studies on coping strategies (relaxation, disclosure, hypnosis, conditioning) led to mixed results.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

This quiz explores the concept of stress, its physiological and emotional responses, and the different types of stressors. It also includes the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale to help assess stress levels and examines the impact of routine choices on stress. Test your knowledge and deepen your understanding of how stress affects well-being.