1. Unit 1: Motivation, Emotion and Stress
WHS AP Psychology
Unit 1: Motivation, Emotion and Stress
Essential Task 1-8:Identify the effects of stress on psychological/physical well-being and how to cope with stress.
Logo Green is R=8 G=138 B= Blue is R= 0 G=110 B=184
Border Grey is R=74 G=69 B=64

2. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Drive Reduction Theory
Motivation & Emotion
Stress
Sources
Measures
Theories
Effects
Coping
Motivation
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Drive Reduction Theory
Arousal Theory
Intrinsic/
Extrinsic Motivation
Human Drives
Theories of Emotion
James-Lange
Cognitive Appraisal
Schachter two-factor
Cannon-Bard
Opponent Process
We are here
Explain complex motives (eating, aggression, achievement and sex)

3. Essential Task 1-8: How to cope with stress
Outline
How to cope with stress
Effects of stress on psychological/physical well-being

5. Stressors Turns into Stress through Appraisal
Differences in reaction to stressors may be due to an individual’s appraisal

6. Harmful Appraisal Irrational Negative Self-talk Awfulize events
I failed a test now I’m going to fail the course.
I didn’t get into the college of my choice now my life will be a failure.
Absolutize events
I must be perfect vs. I can strive to do my best and learn from failures.
Everything should go as planned vs. bad stuff just happens.

7. Secondary Appraisal after INST
I do not have the resources to deal with this.
PNS does not fire
Flood of corticoids
Physiologic problems

8. Type D Personality?
Denollet et al) in the American Journal of Cardiology – 2006
Tendency to experience negative emotions
Tendency to inhibit these emotions
Tendency to isolate oneself

9. Stress Hardy Optimistic explanatory style Emotional Intelligence
Well, that happened.
I have some measure of control here
This stressor is a challenge/new opportunity or maybe I can grow from this
I have other people that can help me
Emotional Intelligence
Self-Aware of emotional state
Can moderate emotional state
Can empathize with others

10. Perceived Control
Research with rats and humans indicates that the absence of control over stressors is a predictor of health problems.
OBJECTIVE 12| Describe how a perceived lack of control can affect health.

11. Secondary Appraisal
PNS fires off stoping a chronic stress response and the associated health problems.
Positive coping strategies are used.

12. How do you make the switch?
Awareness - Stressor doesn’t cause the stress, my appraisal does.
Irrational negative self-talk is lighting quick slow down the process to gain control.
Everything is exactly as it is. A caused B which led to C. The universe is not out to get you.
All humans make mistakes

13. Coping With Stress Direct coping
Intentional efforts to change an uncomfortable situation
Confrontation
Acknowledging stress directly and initiating a solution
Compromise
Choosing a more realistic goal when an ideal goal cannot be met
Withdrawal
Avoiding a situation when other options are not practical

14. Coping With Stress Defensive coping
Can occur when you cannot identify the source of stress or cannot do anything to change the situation
Defense mechanisms may be adopted to cope with stress
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction formation
Displacement
Sublimation

15. Coping with Stress
Reducing stress by changing events that cause stress or by changing how we react to stress is called problem-focused coping.
OUR SENSE OF CONTOL
IS THE DIFFERNCE!
OBJECTIVE 11| Explain what it means to cope with stress, and contrast problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping.
Emotion-focused coping is when we cannot change a stressful situation, and we respond by attending to our own emotional needs.

16. Explanatory Style
People with an optimistic (instead of pessimistic) explanatory style tend to have more control over stressors, cope better with stressful events, have better moods, and have a stronger immune system.
OBJECTIVE 13| Discuss the links among explanatory style, stress and health.

17. Social Support
Supportive family members, marriage partners, and close friends help people cope with stress. Their immune functioning calms the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure.
OBJECTIVE 14| Describe some of the ways that social support acts as a stress buffer.

18. Managing Stress
Having a sense of control, an optimistic explanatory style, and social support can reduce stress and improve health.
OBJECTIVE 15| Explain the difference between coping with stress and managing stress.

19. Aerobic Exercise
Can aerobic exercise boost spirits? Many studies suggest that aerobic exercise can elevate mood and well-being because aerobic exercise raises energy, increases self-confidence, and lowers tension, depression, and anxiety.
OBJECTIVE 16| Discuss the advantages of aerobic exercise as a technique for managing stress and fostering well-being.

20. Biofeedback, Relaxation, and Meditation
Biofeedback systems use electronic devices to inform people about their physiological responses and gives them the chance to bring their response to a healthier range. Relaxation and meditation have similar effects in reducing tension and anxiety.
OBJECTIVE 17| Compare the benefits of biofeedback and relaxation training as stress-management techniques, and discuss meditation as a relaxation technique.

21. Life-Style
Modifying a Type-A lifestyle may reduce the recurrence of heart attacks.

22. Spirituality & Faith Communities
Regular religious attendance has been a reliable predictor of a longer life span with a reduced risk of dying.
OBJECTIVE 18| Discuss the correlation between religiosity and longevity, and offer some possible explanations for this link.

23. Intervening Factors
Investigators suggest there are three factors that connect religious involvement and better health.

24. Managing Stress: Summary
How can stress be managed?

25. Methods of Reducing Stress
Calm down
Exercise
Relaxation training
Reach out
Social support network
Religion
Studies have shown an association between religion and lower stress
May be related to social support
Altruism
Giving to others because is gives you pleasure
Shown to be a good way to reduce stress

26. Methods of Reducing Stress
Learn to cope effectively
Proactive coping
Anticipate stressful events and take steps to avoid them
Positive reappraisal
Alter the way you think about a stressful situation
Making the best of a tense or stressful event
Humor
Finding the funny things in a situation

27. Coping With Stress at College
Plan ahead
Prioritize
Exercise
Listen to music, watch TV, or go out as a study break
Talk to others
Meditate or use other relaxation techniques

28. Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle
Eat a well-balanced diet
Exercise
Quit smoking
Avoid high risk behaviors

29. Sources of Extreme Stress
Unemployment
Stages of relief, optimism, doubt, malaise, cynicism
Divorce and separation
Ambivalence, feelings of failure, sadness, and fear
Bereavement

30. Sources of Extreme Stress
Catastrophes
Shock stage
Suggestible stage
Recovery stage
Combat and other threatening personal attacks
Effects can linger
Can lead to depression and other disorders

31. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Characterized by episodes of anxiety, sleeplessness, and nightmares from a disturbing event in the past
Victims may withdraw from social life or job and family responsibilities

32. The Well-Adjusted Person
Psychologists may judge the adjustment value of an action by the following criteria
Does the action realistically meet the demands of the situation or just postpone the resolution of the problem?
Does the action meet the individual's needs?
Is the action compatible with the well-being of others?

33. Stress and Causes of Death
Prolonged stress combined with unhealthy behaviors may increase our risk for one of today's four leading diseases.

34. Health Psychology
Health psychology is a field of psychology that contributes to behavioral medicine. The field studies stress-related aspects of disease and asks the following questions:
How do emotions and personality factors influence the risk of disease?
What attitudes and behaviors prevent illness and promote health and well-being?
How do our perceptions determine stress?
How can we reduce or control stress?

35. Stress and Illness
Stress can be adaptive. In a fearful or stress- causing situation, we can run away and save our lives. Stress can be maladaptive. If it is prolonged (chronic stress), it increases our risk of illness and health problems.

36. Stress and Heart Disease
Frequent or chronic stress can cause damage to the heart and blood vessels
Type A personality
Competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
Respond to life events with impatience and hostility
Correlated with development of heart disease
Type B personality
Relaxed and easygoing

37. Correlation?
FINDINGS: Of the original sample of 3200, 257 participants had developed coronary heart disease during the 81⁄2 years
70% of them had been classified as Type A.
Type As were found to have higher levels of cholesterol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline than Type Bs.
A significant but moderate correlation was found between personality type and coronary heart disease.
CONCLUSIONS: The research shows that Type A behaviour pattern is fairly strongly linked to CHD. Friedman and Rosenman concluded that the Type A behaviour pattern increases the individual’s experience of stress, which increases physiological reactivity, and that in turn increases vulnerability to CHD.
The high levels of the stress hormones suggest that they do experience more stress than Type Bs. The stress response inhibits digestion, which leads to the higher level of cholesterol in the blood, and this places Type As at risk of CHD. Implications include the need to reduce the “harmful” Type A characteristics.

38. Stress and the Immune System
B lymphocytes fight bacterial infections, T lymphocytes attack cancer cells and viruses, and microphages ingest foreign substances. During stress, energy is mobilized away from the immune system making it vulnerable.
OBJECTIVE 7| Describe the effect of stress on immune system functioning.
Lennart Nilsson/ Boehringer Ingelhein International GmbH

39. Stress and Colds
People with the highest life stress scores were also the most vulnerable when exposed to an experimental cold virus.

40. Stress and AIDS
Stress and negative emotions may accelerate the progression from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
OBJECTIVE 8| Discuss the findings on the link between stress and AIDS.
UNAIDS/ G. Pirozzi

41. Stress and Cancer
Stress does not create cancer cells. Researchers disagree on whether stress influences the progression of cancer. However, they do agree that avoiding stress and having a hopeful attitude cannot reverse advanced cancer.
OBJECTIVE 9| Discuss the findings on the link between stress and cancer.

42. Health-Related Consequences
Stress can have a variety of health-related consequences.