Health, Stress, and Coping Chapter 13 Health, Stress, and Coping

Health Psychology: aims to use behavioral principles to prevent illness and death and to promote health. psychologists who work in behavioral medicine apply psychology to manage medical problems—pain control, coping with chronic illness, stress-related diseases, etc.

lifestyle diseases related to just six behaviors – smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, insufficient exercise, and risky sexual practices – account for 70 percent of all medical costs

Behavioral Risk Factors behaviors that increase the chances of disease, injury, or early death: being overweight can double a person’s chance of dying from cancer or lung disease

general disease-prone personality chronically depressed, anxious, hostile, and frequently ill. People who are intellectually resourceful, compassionate, optimistic, and non hostile tend to enjoy good health.

Health-promoting Behaviors exercise, controlling smoking and alcohol use, maintaining a balanced diet, getting good medical care, managing stress, using seat belts. Ask yourself: Do I get 7-8 hours of sleep a night? Am I currently at or near the ideal weight for my height? I have never smoked cigarettes I use alcohol moderately or not at all I get regular physical exercise

Early Prevention learn skills to help cope with day-to-day stresses, self-protection, decision making, self control and social skills Positive Psychology Staying in a positive state of wellness/well-being; positive thinking, emotional resilience, self-confident; have supportive relationships, do meaningful work, and live in a clean environment

Stress it is a mental and physical condition that occurs when a person must adjust or adapt to the environment stress reaction begins with the same autonomic nervous system arousal that occurs during emotion General Adaptation Syndrome 1. alarm reaction – the body mobilizes its resources to cope with added stress. The pituitary gland signals the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. 2. Stage of Resistance – body adjustments to stress stabilize. 3. Stage of Exhaustion – with continued stress, the body’s resources are drained and stress hormones are depleted

Stress, Illness, and the Immune System the immune system mobilizes defenses against invading microbes and other disease agents stress and upsetting emotions can affect this system in ways that increase susceptibility to disease

stressor is a condition or event that challenges or threatens a person – unpredictable nature may lead to stress-related diseases pressure is another element of stress – a person must meet urgent external demands or expectations

Appraising Stessors Depends on how you perceive the situation Primary appraisal – is the situation relevant, threatening? Secondary appraisal – assess your resources and choose a way to meet the threat. -we are prone to feel stress when we think we can’t control the situation.

Coping with Threat Emotion-forced coping We try to control our emotional reactions 2. problem-forced coping- correcting the situation

Frustration a negative emotional state that occurs when people are prevented from reaching a desired goal External frustration – based on conditions outside a person usually increases as the strength, urgency, or importance of a blocked motive increases.

Reactions to Frustration Aggression is any response made with the intent of harming a person or an object. Targets of displaced aggression tend to be safer, or less likely to retaliate, than the original source of frustration. Some try to escape – leaving a source of frustration; apathy (pretending not to care); using drugs

Coping with Frustration Identify the source Can it be changed? Can you control it? Is it worth trying to change?

Conflict Approach-Aproach Conflicts – choosing between two positive, or desirable, alternatives. Avoidance-Avoidance Conflicts – Approach-Avoidance Conflicts – being attracted to and repelled by the same goal or activity Multiple Conflicts – double approach-avoidance conflict

Psychological Defense Defense Mechanisms are any mental processes used to avoid, deny, or distort sources of threat or anxiety, including threats to one’s self-image. 1. Denial 2. Repression 3. Reaction formation 4. regression 5. projection 6. rationalization 7. compensation 8. sublimation

Learned Helplessness is an acquired inability to overcome obstacles and avoid aversive stimuli persons who are made to feel helpless in one situation are more likely to act helpless in other situations 2. Depression is marked by feelings of despondency, powerlessness, and hopelessness 3. Hope some may find hope in religion, nature, human companionship, or even technology. hope is among the most important of all human emotions

Recognizing Depression you should assume that more than a minor fluctuation in mood is involved when five conditions exist: 1. consistently negative opinion of yourself. 2. engage in frequent self-criticism and self-blame 3. place negative interpretations on events that usually wouldn’t bother you. 4. the future looks bleak and negative 5. feel that your responsibilities are overwhelming

Stress and Health stressful events reduce the body’s natural defenses against disease Life Events and Stress -Social Readjustment Rating Scale – exceeding 300 points could lead to a high chance of illness

Hassles micro-stressors that are viewed as central to one’s self-worth are many times more likely to cause trouble Closely linked with immediate health and psychological well-being

Psychosomatic Disorders psychological factors contribute to actual bodily damage or damaging changes in how the body functions: asthma, migraines, high blood pressure, stomach illnesses, gastrointestinal and respiratory problems, hives, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, sore muscles, neck aches, backaches, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, insomnia, premenstrual problems, and sexual dysfunctions.

Biofeedback helps relieve muscle-tension headaches, migraine headaches, chronic pain, lowering blood pressure, controlling heart rhythms, epileptic seizures and hyperactivity in children.

The Cardiac Personality Type A – those who run a high risk of heart attack: hard driving, ambitious, highly competitive, achievement-oriented, and striving. telltale signs: time urgency and chronic anger or hostility anger and hostility are strongly related to increased risk of heart attack and may be the core lethal factor of Type A behavior.

Hardy Personality have a sense of personal commitment to self, work, family, and other stabilizing values. have control over their lives and their work have a tendency to see life as a series of challenges, rather than a series of threats or problems.

Positive Psychology what separates happy people from unhappy people is largely a matter of attitude: find humor in disappointments, see setbacks as challenges, and are strengthened by losses.

Social Support Positive relationships with others Support from family and friends