Introduction to Psychology: Stress and Health (PDF)

Introduction to Psychology Stress and Health Outline Definition Causes Symptoms of Acute Stress Stress management techniques Relaxation Exercise Stress management  Health and Stress Health Psychology: A subfield of psychology that emphasizes psychol...

Introduction to Psychology Stress and Health Outline Definition Causes Symptoms of Acute Stress Stress management techniques Relaxation Exercise Stress management  Health and Stress Health Psychology: A subfield of psychology that emphasizes psychology’s role in establishing and maintaining health and preventing and treating illness Biomedical Medicine: An interdisciplinary field that focuses on developing and integrating behavioural and biomedical knowledge to promote health and reduce illness; overlaps with health psychology Psychoneuroimmunology: a field of scientific inquiry that explores connections among psychological factors (such as attitudes and emotions), the nervous system, and the immune system  What is Stress? Is a negative emotional discomfort experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive & behavioural changes that are directed either towards altering the stressful event or accommodating its effects Stress and the Immune System stressful experiences lower the efficacy of immune systems, making individuals more susceptible to disease Stress directly promotes disease- producing processes Stressful experiences may cause the activation of dormant viruses that diminish the individual’s ability to cope with disease  Stress vs Stressor STRESS STRESSOR stress is any A stressor is any uncomfortable event, experience, or environmental stimulus emotional experience that accompanied by causes stress in an Predictable individual. biochemical, These events or experiences are physiological and behavioral changes. perceived as threats or  Types of Stress Acute Stress- short Chronic Stress- long Acute stress reaction (also called Chronic stress is the acute stress disorder, psychological shock, mental shock, response to emotional or simply shock) is a psychological pressure suffered for a condition arising in response to a prolonged period of time in terrifying or traumatic event or which an individual perceives witnessing a traumatic event that induces a strong emotional response they have little or no control. within the individual. It involves an endocrine Acute stress disorder is system response in which characterized by the development of corticosteroids are released. severe anxiety, dissociation, and other symptoms that occurs within examples include serious one month after exposure to an life events like the death of a extreme traumatic stressor (e.g., witnessing a death or serious loved one, the loss of a job, accident). loneliness, or ongoing marital problems. Why is our Stress level so High? Urbanization Globalization Technology Social and economic burden Behavioural risk factors Unhealthy diet Physical inactivity Tobacco & alcohol use  Four major factors that lead to stress; Change: All stressful Frustration: Occurs when a events are caused by person is prevented from change. The more change reaching goal because involved, the more something or someone stressful the situation. stands in the way. Pressure: Occurs when we Conflict: Conflict arises when feel forced to speed up, we face two or more intensify, or shift direction incompatible demands, in our behavior, or when opportunities, needs, or we feel compelled to meet goals. (Kurt Lewin: a higher standard of approach/approach -2 performance. approach/avoidance -1 avoidance/avoidance -2 Four major factors that lead to stress; Conflict Conflict within an individual is the simultaneous arousal of two or more incompatible motives. To understand the dynamics of conflict, psychologists have tried to answer one key question: "What factors make some choices easy and others difficult?“ Smith and Guthrie (1921 ) made a distinction between conflict situations that produce a stable equilibrium and those that produce an unstable equilibrium. Easily resolved conflicts are said to be in unstable equilibrium: as soon as the person moves toward one of the alternatives, the conflict disappears. When a conflict is not easily resolved, incompatible responses continue to balance each other. The person cannot accept either alternative. Since he cannot choose, he remains in conflict. The conflict is in stable equilibrium. Lewin (1935) identified three patterns of conflict: approach- approach, avoidance-avoidance, and approach-avoidance.  Four major factors that lead to stress; Conflict Approach - Approach Avoidance- Avoidance Conflict Conflict Approach-approach conflicts are unstable The individual is faced with two goals, In the first of these, approach-approach, the both of which are negative, or repellent. individual is faced with the necessity of He is "between the rock and the hard making a choice between two (or more) place." In that very position, for desirable goals. example, is the child who is faced with Since both goals are desirable, this is the "Either you do your homework or you go least stressful situation. to bed without supper." Since the equilibrium is a stable one, Such situations produce a state of unstable equilibrium. the child is likely to remain balanced between the two negatives as long as As soon as one goal is approached, its possible. The nearer the individual desirability increases and completely comes to a goal he wishes to avoid (a dominates, thereby making the choice easy. repelling one), the stronger is his The choice becomes easier the closer one tendency to avoid it. moves toward either goal. The avoidance-avoidance conflict The approach-approach conflict situation: an situation is a stable equilibrium in which unstable equilibrium A step toward either a movement away from one goal is countered by an increase in the goal is sufficient to resolve the conflict by repellence of the other goal so that the making that goal seem more attractive than individual returns to the point where he the other. was at the beginning of the conflict.  Four major factors that lead to stress; Conflict Approach- Avoidance Double Approach- Conflict Avoidance Approach-avoidance conflicts involve In real life, the individual frequently is only one goal faced with having to choose between In this situation, the individual is both two (or more) goals, each of which has attracted and repelled by the same both attracting and repelling aspects. goal. The same goal has qualities that Since the tendency is to approach and make the individual want to approach it avoid each of the goals, this pattern is and other qualities that make him want called double approach-avoidance. to avoid it. Approach-avoidance, like the Choosing a house in the country means fresh air, room to live, peace and quiet. avoidance-avoidance conflict situation, It also means many hours of produces stable equilibrium. commuting to work in heavy traffic and The approach-avoidance conflict long distances from city amenities and situation is a stable equilibrium. As the cultural events. Choosing to live in the individual nears the goal , the strength city will likewise present both the of avoidance increases more rapidly problems and the advantages of city than that of approach, pushing him from the goal ; at this point the life. strength of approach is higher than the This is a common example of the avoidance tendency. double approach-avoidance situation. In this manner the person is brought back to the original point of equilibrium.  Other major factors that cause Stress #1 is Work related #2 are Social stress Stressors Being unhappy in your job The death of a loved one Having a heavy workload or too Divorce much responsibility Loss of a job Working long hours Increase in financial obligations Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or no say Getting married in the decision-making process Moving to a new home Working under dangerous conditions Chronic illness or injury Being insecure about your chance for Emotional problems (depression, advancement or risk of termination anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, no/low Having to give speeches in front of self-esteem) colleagues Taking care of an elderly or sick Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your company family member isn't supportive  Other Major factors that cause VariablesStress we cannot Control Traumatic Stressors Change: Any major life Traumatic event, change can be stressful -- even a happy event like a such as a natural wedding or a job phenomenon, promotion. More unpleasant events, such as theft, a divorce, major financial rape, or setback, or death in the family can be significant violence against sources of stress. you or a loved one Conflicts – unkind neighbours  Other Major factors that cause Stress Sometimes the stress comes from inside, rather than outside Attitudes and Fear and uncertainty perceptions When you regularly hear about the How you view the world or a threat of terrorist attacks, global particular situation can determine warming, and toxic chemicals on the whether it causes stress. news, For example, if your television set is it can cause you to feel stressed, stolen and you take the attitude, "It's especially because you feel like you have no control over those events. OK, my insurance company will pay And even though disasters are for a new one," you'll be far less typically very rare events, their vivid stressed than if you think, coverage in the media may make "My TV is gone and I'll never get it them seem as if they are more likely back! What if the thieves come back to occur than they really are. to my house to steal again?" Fears can also hit closer to home, Similarly, people who feel like they're such as being worried that you won't doing a good job at work will be less finish a project at work or won't have stressed out by a big upcoming enough money to pay your bills this month. project than those who worry that they are incompetent. Other Factors that cause stress Unrealistic expectations Personality Type Life is not perfect Your stress level will differ based on your personality If you expect to and how you respond to situations. do everything Some people let right all the time, everything roll off their back. you're destined To them, work stresses to feel stressed and life stresses are just minor bumps in the road. when things Others literally worry themselves sick. don't go as expected. Physiological Responses to Stress  Selye’s (1974) General Adaptation Syndrome G.A.S. General Adaptation Syndrome is Selye’s term for the common effects on the body when stressful demands are placed on it The GAS consists of 3 stages (ALARM – fight or flight, RESISTANCE - fight& EXHAUSTION-give up) This model is especially useful in helping us to understand the link between stress and health HYPOTHALMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS (HPA axis): is the body system that plays the greatest role in stress. It is a complex set of interactions among the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands. Selye’s (1974) General Adaptation Syndrome G.A.S. Stage 1: Alarmed The body prepares itself for immediate action; arousal of the sympathetic nervous system releases hormones that help prepare the body to meet threats or dangers. If stress is prolonged Stage 2: Resistance begins… Selye’s (1974) General Adaptation Syndrome Stage 2: Resistance Arousal is lower than during the alarm stage but our bodies continue to draw on resources at an above normal rate in order to cope effectively with the stressor. Continued exposure to the same stressor drains the body of its resources and leads to the third stage Exhaustion… Selye’s (1974) General Adaptation Syndrome