CHAPTER 13 Stress!

Chapter Overview Phew!--Managing Stress Modifying Your Environment Altering Your Lifestyle Using Stress for Personal Growth Yikes!--Reactions to Stress Physiological Stress Reactions Psychological Stress Reactions How Do You React to Stress? Oh No!--Understanding Stress Conceptualizing Stress Stress and You Stress!

Chapter Summary Oh, No! – Understanding Stress Conceptualizing Stress Stress and You Yikes! – Reactions to Stress Physiological Stress Reactions Psychological Stress Reactions How Do You React to Stress?

Chapter Summary Chapter Summary cont’d Phew! - Managing Stress Modifying Your Environment Altering Your Lifestyle Using Stress for Personal Growth

Oh, No! – Understanding Stress Statistics on Stress: Over half of all Americans view job stress as a major problem. Three of every five doctors’ visits are stress-related. One-fourth of American workers think they are on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Stress is taking a toll on us!

Conceptualizing Stress Stress may be viewed in many ways. Stimulus-based: Stressors Stressors--the variety of external and internal stimuli that evoke stress. Behavior-based: Stress Stress--the patterns of responses an individual makes to events that disturb his or her equilibrium or when stressors exceed our coping abilities. Our perceptions of stress are important. One person’s stress is another’s challenge! Oh, No! – Understanding Stress Oh, No! – Understanding Stress cont’d

Conceptualizing Stress Types of Stress Distress: When stressful events have a harmful effect. Eustress: Good stress (i.e., stress that invigorates us). Hyperstress: Excessive stress. Hypostress: Insufficient stress (boredom sets in). Oh, No! – Understanding Stress Oh, No! – Understanding Stress cont’d

Conceptualizing Stress Life-Events Approach: Major life events such as death of a family member or divorce are stressors. The more distressing the life events, the more likely an individual is to develop a stress-related illness. Problems with life-events approach Problems with life-events approach: Does not take individual differences in coping ability or in perceptions into account. Does not take into account everyday stressors, such as losing one’s keys. Oh, No! – Understanding Stress Oh, No! – Understanding Stress cont’d World Trade Center 9/11/01

Conceptualizing Stress Daily Hassles Approach: Multiple daily hassles (e. g., stuck in traffic) have a major impact on our health and our moods. College students: hassles about grades and tests; middle-aged people: health and money. People who suffer frequent or intense daily hassles also experience negative physical and psychological consequences. Oh, No! – Understanding Stress Oh, No! – Understanding Stress cont’d

Conceptualizing Stress Chronic vs. Acute Approach to Stress: Chronic Stress: The perception of global or generalized and pervasive stress. Acute Stress: Stress that is momentary and a response to imminent danger and which is relieved when the danger disappears. Most health experts consider chronic stress to be the most harmful and damaging to health.

Stress and You How you perceive a stressor (as more or less stressful) plays a major role in your relationship to stress. Women and young people report more stress…. Personality factors contribute to stress: neuroticism, Type A personality (people who are competitive, argumentative, time-urgent, ambitious, and impatient as well as hostile). Minority group members who perceive themselves objects of discrimination may also experience distress. Oh, No! – Understanding Stress Oh, No! – Understanding Stress cont’d

Stress and You Situations (rather than personal characteristics) also cause stress. Situations that: Place too many demands on us Take control out of our hands Are unpredictable Are void of social support Produce role conflicts (e.g. between home and work) Are dangerous or unpleasant

Yikes! – Reactions to Stress Physiological Stress Reactions: Hans Selye has identified three progressive stages of stress reaction (the general adaptation syndrome): Alarm: The initial stage of the emergency where the body attempts to restore or maintain its normal functioning. Resistance: The second stage in which the body attempts to resist the stressor. Exhaustion: The final stage where the body is unable to continue resisting and breaks down.

Yikes! – Reactions to Stress Yikes! – Reactions to Stress cont’d Physiological Stress Reactions: Some scientists speak of the fight or flight response: Fight signifies confronting the stressor. Flight means fleeing from the stressor. Most physiologists believe that the parts of the body crucial to managing stress are: Amygdala: A part of the brain that directs signals and triggers alarms. Pituitary gland: The master gland of the endocrine or hormonal system.

Yikes! – Reactions to Stress Yikes! – Reactions to Stress cont’d Physiological Stress Reactions: McEwen (2005) focuses on allostasisallostasis – achieving stability through changes via a process that maintains balance among physiological factors essential for life, AND allostatic load – the cumulative changes that reflect the cost to the body of adapting repeatedly to the demands placed upon it. In the short run, allostasis protects us; over the long run, excessive load can cause physiological damage!

Yikes! – Reactions to Stress Yikes! – Reactions to Stress cont’d Psychological Stress Reactions: … are typically shaped by learning. Most stressors evoke anxiety – the vague, unpleasant feeling that something bad is about to happen. … we cope by using (ego) defense mechanisms- unconscious mechanisms for protecting us from awareness of anxiety in the face of threat. For example: Repression--where unacceptable thoughts are excluded from consciousness, or Projection--attributing our own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others.

How Do You React to Stress? Each of us reacts differently. Some individuals use: emotion-focused coping, where the individual tries to alter his or her emotional reaction to stress; others utilize problem-focused coping, where the individual attempts to change the environment or find a solution. Yikes! – Reactions to Stress Yikes! – Reactions to Stress cont’d

How Do You React to Stress? Some are better able to cope with or manage stress than others. They possess psychological hardiness–an attitude that allows certain people to make the most of a situation. Some possess resilience–positive growth or positive adaptation following brief periods of stress after some stressful disruption or extreme adversity (i.e., they bounce back from unfortunate circumstances). Yikes! – Reactions to Stress Yikes! – Reactions to Stress cont’d

Phew! – Managing Stress Modifying the Environment : Basic ways to modify what goes on around you include: Assertiveness--directly expressing your feelings and rights. Withdrawal--removing yourself from the situation. Compromise--adjusting or modifying opposing ideas or behaviors. This may include conformity, negotiation, or substitution. Different people are comfortable with different approaches; each approach may not work in all situations.

Altering Your Lifestyle: stress toleranceBuild up your stress tolerance – the degree of stress you can handle or how long you can put up with a demanding task without acting in an irrational or disorganized way. Develop the ability to function well despite anxiety. For example, maintain your physical fitness. Change your pace of life. Our pace has become faster every generation. Phew! – Managing Stress Phew! – Managing Stress cont’d Firefighters and others who confront stress daily have learned to build stress tolerance!

Phew! – Managing Stress Phew! – Managing Stress cont’d Altering Your Lifestyle: Rearrange your life to prevent stress. For example, get up early enough to avoid rushing. Take time to relax every day. Develop and maintain a good sense of humor.

Using Stress for Personal Growth: Stress management is a personal matter. Only you know what you can tolerate and how best to manage stress. Stress and your reactions to it can provide opportunities for personal growth. Remember that failures and disappointments can be blessings in disguise. Phew! – Managing Stress Phew! – Managing Stress cont’d

Make stress work for you; stress need not always be distressing! Phew! – Managing Stress Phew! – Managing Stress cont’d