Section 18: Health and Well-Being Psychology in Modules by Saul Kassin

©2006 Prentice Hall Health and Well-Being Mind Over Matter The Self and Well-Being Stress and Health Coping with Stress

©2006 Prentice Hall What’s Your Prediction? Does Stress Lower Resistance? Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) A new subfield of psychology that examines the interactions among psychological factors, the nervous system, and the immune system

©2006 Prentice Hall Mind Over Matter “For a wide range of afflictions, 30 to 40 percent of patients experience relief after taking a placebo.” Walter A. Brown Placebo Effect A placebo is any medical intervention designed to improved one’s condition merely via the power of suggestion.

©2006 Prentice Hall The Self and Well-Being The Self-Awareness “Trap” Self-Awareness Theory Self-focused attention leads people to notice their shortcomings, thus motivating a change in behavior or an escape from self-awareness

©2006 Prentice Hall The Self and Well-Being Positive Illusions Unrealistic Optimism Regarding their future, students tend to rate their own chances as above average for positive events and below average for negative events.

Stress and Health Health Psychology The study of the links between psychological factors and physical health and illness

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health Leading Causes of Death, Since 1900, heart disease, cancer, and strokes have replaced infectious diseases as the major causes of death. Behavioral factors contribute to each of these leading causes of death.

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Sources of Stress Stress and Coping Stress: An aversive state of arousal triggered by the perception that an event threatens the ability to cope effectively. Although stressful events have effects on the body, the way people cope can promote health or illness.

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Sources of Stress Catastrophes Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) An anxiety disorder triggered by an extremely stressful event, such as combat Major Life Events Microstressors Result in the most significant source of stress

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Physiological Effects of Stress General Adaptation Syndrome

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Physiological Effects of Stress Personality & Coronary Heart Disease Type A Personality Characterized by an impatient, hard-driving, and hostile pattern of behavior Type B Personality Characterized by an easygoing, relaxed pattern of behavior People with Type A personality are more prone to coronary heart disease (CHD).

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Physiological Effects of Stress Pathways From Stress to CHD Under stress, people engage in behaviors that are less healthy and they are more physiologically reactive. Both of these contribute to coronary heart disease.

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Immune System A biological surveillance system that detects and destroys “nonself” substances that invade the body Lymphocytes Specialized white blood cells that secrete chemical antibodies and facilitate the immune response

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Immune System

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Immune System Immune System Components B cell migrates to a blood vessel Killer T-cell attacks a tumor cell Macrophage traps and ingests a bacterium

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Immune System Pathways From Stress to Illness Negative emotional states (stress) can lead to unhealthy behaviors and trigger the release of hormones that suppress immune system activity.

©2006 Prentice Hall Stress and Health The Immune System Stress Duration and Illness Volunteers were interviewed about life stressors, then infected with cold virus. As length of stress increased, so did the likelihood of catching the cold. Stress impairs immune system functioning.

Coping With Stress Coping Strategies Two general types of coping strategies Problem-focused coping, which is designed to reduce stress by dealing with the problem Emotion-focused coping, in which one tries to manage the negative emotions Thought Suppression Can be maladaptive Distraction works better Relaxation Aerobic Exercise

©2006 Prentice Hall Coping With Stress Coping Strategies Relaxation and the Heart Heart attack patients were taught to relax their pace. A control group received standard medical care. After three years, relaxation-trained patients suffered 50% fewer second heart attacks.

©2006 Prentice Hall Coping With Stress The “Self-Healing Personality” Hardiness It acts as a buffer against stress. It is a personality style characterized by commitment, challenge, and control. Commitment  Sense of purpose in work, family, and life Challenge  Openness to new experiences and change Control  Belief that one has the power to influence important future outcomes

©2006 Prentice Hall Coping With Stress The “Self-Healing Personality” Hopelessness and the Risk of Death In Finland, middle-age men were rated for hopelessness. Six years later, higher ratings of hopelessness predicted risk of overall death, cancer, and heart attack.

©2006 Prentice Hall Coping With Stress Social Support Much evidence shows that social support has therapeutic effects. Women with breast cancer who joined support groups lived an average of eighteen months longer than women who did not join these groups. Across gender, age, income level, and ethnicity, social support lowers mortality rates.

©2006 Prentice Hall Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Estimated number of adults and children living with AIDS at the start of 2000