Chapter 2

Front 1

stress

Back 1

non-specific mental or somatic result of any demand upon the body

Front 2

coping

Back 2

strategies to deal with stresses caused by changing environmental demands

Front 3

stress literacy

Back 3

degree to which you understand the effects of stress

Front 4

eustress

Back 4

positive but stressful experience

Front 5

Hans Selye

Back 5

not stress but strain

Front 6

endocrine system

Back 6

controls glandular responses to stress - responds slower than nervous system but its effects can last for weeks

Front 7

sympathetic adrenomedullary (SAM) system

Back 7

sympathetic nervous system and adrenal medulla

initiates fight or flight response

Front 8

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

Back 8

initiates response in the hypothalamus

delayed response to stress that tries to minimize initial impact and restore body to a balanced state

Front 9

hypothalamus

Back 9

initiates stress response in nervous and endocrine system

helps maintain homeostasis

Front 10

adrenal medulla

Back 10

central portion of adrenal gland

secretes catecholamines (contains epinephrine and norepinephrine) in response to fight or flight

Front 11

limbic system

Back 11

emotion in stress response (aggression, fear, anxiety, sexual arousal, pain)

Front 12

reticular formation

Back 12

runs through the middle of the brainstem

communication network that filters messages between the brain and body

receives input from all sensory systems, influences which sensory info is processed and blocked

Front 13

pituitary gland

Back 13

"master" gland - controls other glands through the hormones it secretes (most of which have an indirect impact on stress, ex. ACTH)

located close to the hypothalamus

Front 14

adrenal cortex

Back 14

outer portion of the adrenal gland

at times of stress it supplies hormones to the body that provide energy and increase blood pressure - secretes glucocorticoids & mineralcorticoids - if stress is prolonged, they can adversely affect ability to resist/recover from diseases

Front 15

glucocorticoids

Back 15

hormone released from adrenal gland upon stimulation from the sympathetic nervous system when you're experiencing stress

Front 16

thyroid gland

Back 16

produces thyroxine - increases blood pressure & respiration rate, affects mental processes (feel more agitated or anxious)

Front 17

pancreas

Back 17

gland that secretes insulin and glucagon in response to blood sugar levels (close to the stomach)

Front 18

General Adaption System (Selye)

Back 18

1) alarm: body mobilizes defence against stressor (fight-or-flight)

2) resistance: set of physiological responses that allow person to deal w/ a stressor over extended period of time

3) exhaustion: body experiences fatigue/immunocompromise because severity/duration of stressor

Front 19

diseases of adaptation

Back 19

result of LT neurological/hormonal changes caused by ongoing stress (cardiovascular, hypertension, peptic ulcers, bronchial asthma, increased risk of infection)

Front 20

allostatic load

Back 20

LT physiological impact of chronic exposure to stress

Front 21

criticisms of Selye's theory

Back 21

only concerned with physical response to stress, doesn't account for psychosocial factors that influence stress response

Front 22

stress-diathesis model

Back 22

nature vs. nurture

ppl may be predisposed to experience a physical effect in response to stressful events

Front 23

cognitive transactional models

Back 23

r/s between person and environment, appraisal you make of that relationship

Front 24

cognitive appraisal

Back 24

whether or not the event is stressful, based on your unique social learning history

Front 25

primary appraisal

Back 25

initial evaluation of a situation (3 kinds)

1) irrelevant: event has no implications for your well-being (doesn't need a response)

2) benign-positive: event has outcomes that are positive, may enhance well-being

3) stressful: event involved harm/loss, threat or challenge

Front 26

secondary appraisal

Back 26

evaluation of your ability to cope with a situation

Front 27

reappraisal

Back 27

continuous experience where existing appraisals are changed/modified based on new information

Front 28

types of stressful appraisal

Back 28

1) harm/loss: significant physical/psychological loss (serious illness, losing a job)

2) threat: anticipation of harm/loss

3) challenge: event is stressful but focus is on positive excitement and potential for growth

Front 29

person variables

Back 29

variables (commitments, beliefs, ect.) that interact with situation variables to affect the appraisal of stressfulness

commitments: determining importance of an encounter - will affect the decisions made to achieve an outcome

beliefs - pre-existing notions, determine meaning given to environment

Front 30

situation variables

Back 30

interact with person variables to influence appraisal of a situation

Front 31

novelty

Back 31

how much previous experience influences appraisal

Front 32

predictability

Back 32

characteristic of an environment that lets you prepare for an event, reduce stress

Front 33

event uncertainty

Back 33

inability to predict the probability of an event, increases stress response

Front 34

imminence

Back 34

time interval in which event is anticipated - more imminent event = more intense appraisal

Front 35

duration

Back 35

time period during which stressful event occurs, longer duration = more stress

Front 36

temporal uncertainty

Back 36

stress from lack of knowledge about when an event will occur

Front 37

stress-buffering hypothesis

Back 37

social support has indirect effect and acts as buffer to protect ppl from negative effects of stress

Front 38

hypometabolic

Back 38

body state where heart slows, blood pressure drops, breathing is slow and easy, muscle tension decreases

Front 39

hypermetabolic

Back 39

metabolic rate is higher than normal (like in fight or flight response)