1. Ch. 16: Conflict, Stress, & Coping

2. Conflict Examples
Approach-approach (choice between two attractive alternatives)
Approach-avoidance (situation has both good and bad features)
Avoidance-avoidance (choice between two unattractive alternatives)
Double approach-avoidance (choice between two alternatives that each have good and bad features)

3. Anxiety Anxiety is the feeling that something is wrong
Results when we can’t resolve a conflict or frustration builds too high.
Can become general feelings of being unable to cope.
Anxiety attacks = rapid heartbeat, fatigue, breathlessness, chest pain, dizziness, fainting, feeling of doom, headaches.

4. Good Stress (Eustress)
ANY change, positive or negative, causes stress
Sometimes stress keeps us moving toward new goals. Stress like doing homework is good because it results in learning.

5. Bad Stress (distress)
Negative effects of stress include confusion, inability to make decisions, avoiding people, and possibly physical or psychological illness.
Deciding to make the best of a situation can limit the negative effects of stress.

6. Fight or Flight
Animals are designed to put physical safety first, and any change in the environment signals the possibility of danger.
So hearing and vision systems are designed to immediately detect any change in surroundings.

7. Stress & Physical Problems
Adrenaline causes: muscles tense, heart faster, liver sends out sugar for muscles.
Body responds the same way to both physical and psychological/emotional threat.
Physical problems can result when we spend too much time running on “full alert.”

8. General Adaptation Syndrome
General adaptation syndrome: sequence of behavior that occurs in reaction to prolonged stress. It is divided into stages:
Alarm reaction: preparation for an attack
Body sends out emergency signals to prepare
Stage of resistance: trying to restore balance
Tries to fight back against attack
Exhaustion: giving up the battle

9. Stress & Control
It is important to feel in control of stressful situations. It lessens the effects of the stress.
Rats were hooked up to a wire and shocked. One had control over the shock and could stop it for both of them, but the other did not have control. Even though they received the same amount of shock, the health of the rat in charge remained good while the other’s health deteriorated.
Religion helps because the person believes there is some control somewhere on their behalf, even if it’s not them who has the control.

10. Self-Concept Self-concepts: the images we have of ourselves.
Not always in line with how others see us.
Most of us see ourselves more positively than is realistic, which can help maintain a sense of well- being.
When important other people have an unrealistic idea of who we should be, we feel inadequate.
For example, if your favorite coach thinks you should make every single field goal, and you don’t, you will feel bad about yourself.

11. Self-Esteem
Self-esteem: the degree to which we think we are worthwhile.
If we see ourselves as having qualities that we value, then self- esteem in higher, and vice versa.
For example, if you think it’s very important to be honest, but you tend to lie a lot, your self-esteem may suffer.

12. Defense Mechanisms
They help us remain psychologically stable by helping to reduce threats.
Unfortunately, that also means we are ignoring reality to some extent.
We’re usually not fully conscious of using them (they wouldn’t work if we were!)

13. Repression & Denial
Repression: the process of pushing a painful event or thought out of consciousness.
Usually unhealthy. Prevents us from resolving issues.
Denial: the process of refusing to admit that there is a problem.
Common INITIAL response. Prevents us from solving a problem since we don’t admit it exists.

14. Displacement & Reaction Formation
Displacement: the process of venting our feelings on something or someone other than the true or original target.
For example, if we are mad at our boss but can’t vent that by yelling at HIM, we might yell at a friend instead.
Reaction formation: the process of expressing the opposite of what we feel.
If a man feels hostile toward his mother, he may feel guilty for feeling that and then express care and concern toward her instead.

15. Intellectualization & Identification with the Aggressor
Intellectualization: the process of removing our feelings about an event and discussing it in a coolly rational and unemotional way.
Can be okay for a while, but the emotions do need to be dealt with eventually.
Identification with the aggressor: the process of taking on characteristics of someone who has mistreated us in order to psychologically avoid the abuse.
A prisoner of war may become like their captors, and even befriend them. This leads to confusion later on.
Kids become like their parents, doing the same things they swore they would never do.

16. Regression & Rationalization
Regression: the process of going backward in behavior and thought to a period when we were taken care of as a child; childish behavior.
A reaction to having to be an adult and take responsibility. Usually leads to others rejecting us.
Rationalization: the process of explaining away a problem so that we don’t have to accept the blame.
Can be used to defend bad behaviors, like spending money frivolously; or can help us deal with things we have no control over, like finding faults in the person who dumped us.

17. Projection & Sublimation
Projection: the process of attributing our thoughts to someone else.
Prevents us from taking responsibility for our problems.
Sublimation: the process of channeling emotional energy into constructive or creative activities.
The only truly healthy and adaptive defense mechanism.

18. Healthy Characteristics for coping
Accepting yourself
Accepting and being interested in others
Perceiving reality accurately
Feeling in control of your life
Having close personal relationships
Making commitments
Tolerating other points of view
Having a sense of purpose
Being problem-centered (set and reach goals)
Foreseeing problems and taking preventative action

19. 6 steps to problem solving
1. Define the problem. Definition should be workable, objective, specific, and goal oriented. Big problems can be broken down into smaller, more manageable ones.
2. Think about different ways the problem can be approached. Be as specific as possible.
3. Assess how workable each approach is. Trust your own judgment.
4. Select the best approach, and come up with specifics for implementing it.
5. Put the plan into action for a time. Put all efforts toward making it work.
6. After a time, honestly evaluate your success. Decide to continue, make changes, or try a different plan.

20. Substance abuse & dependence
Substance abuse – when use of a drug interferes with work and/or relationships
Substance dependence – when physical symptoms arise from not using the drug, and a lot of time is devoted to using.

21. Molecular Structures of drugs
Drugs have molecular structures that are similar to the various chemicals already inside nerve cells, so the drug goes in, and the body listens to it because it thinks it’s a natural internal molecule.
Alcohol and tranquilizers look like the molecules that tell nerves NOT to fire.
Others look like the molecules that make the nerve cells fire.
Others like LSD make different sense circuits fire together.

22. Alcohol withdrawal
Alcohol withdrawal happens when a severe alcoholic goes without alcohol.
First symptoms are weakness, anxiety, stomach cramps.
Then come hallucinations: seeing or hearing things that are not physically present.
Confusion  disorientation  stupor  death

23. Synergistic Effect Liver can’t handle two different chemicals at once.
Synergistic effect: effect in which, when two drugs are taken in combination, each is more potent than it would be if it were taken by itself.

24. 6 indicators of alcoholism
1. frequent drinking sprees (drunkenness once a week)
2. increase in quantity per sitting
3. morning drinking
4. going to school or work drunk
5. blackouts (loss of memory)
6. drinking whenever faced with crisis

25. Alcohol, Marijuana, & Nicotine
Drug
Nervous System Effects
Physical Effects
Cognitive Effects
Alcohol
Depressant
Liver damage
Removes inhibitions
Marijuana
Lack of coordination
Reduces male sex hormone
Confuses perception
Sleepy floaty feeling
Wipes out short term memory storage
Nicotine
Stimulant
Raises heart rate and blood pressure
Addiction

26. Amphetamines, Cocaine, & Opiates
Drug
Nervous System Effects
Physical Effects
Cognitive Effects
Amphetamines
Stimulant
Tolerance
Trembling
Convulsions
Feeling of excitement, freedom, energy
Bizarre mental images
Paranoia
Cocaine
Warm rush
Heart attack
Death
Severe hallucinations
Mental confusion
Psychological dependence
Opiates (heroin, morphine, opium)
Sedative
Dependence
Death (through additives, overdose, etc.)
Feel great, then crash

27. LSD & Steroids Drug Nervous System Effects Physical Effects
Cognitive Effects
LSD
Hallucinogen
Random firing of brain cells
Hallucinations
Panic
Steroids
Stimulant
Body tissue damage
Heart trouble
Infertility
Loss of emotional control
Unrealistic sense of power