1. Final Exam Review, pt. 4
Chapters 7 & 8

2. STRESS & HEALTH Chapter 7

3. General Adaptation Syndrome
Three stage response to long-term stress. 1. Alarm * Body releases stress hormones, 2. Resistance * Body adapts to threat; tries to return to normal functions 3. Exhaustion * Reserves gone; immunity & organs fail

4. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome *
Response to an extreme stressor, e.g. war, natural disaster, life-threatening event
Symptoms include : anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, emotional problems
Substance abuse & family problems common

5. COPING Problem-focused coping
Trying to change situation or problem that is causing the stress.
Emotion-focused coping *
Trying to reduce the effects of stress by controlling emotions. ‪

6. Causes of Stress Social Readjustment Rating Scale *
Life events rated for their stress potential.
Predictive for illness
Daily Hassles *
Minor events – an argument, lost keys
Predictive for mental and physical health problems

7. Biopsychosocial Model *
Explanations in terms of interactions between biological, psychological, and social variables.
Psychoneuroimmunology *
Studies interaction between immune system, nervous system & psychological processes; Effects of psychological factors on resistance to disease
Health Psychology *
Focus on how interactions of biology, behavior & social situation influence health & illness.
Conclusion: Stress makes it more difficult to resist mental and physical illness.

8. Factors Affecting Resistance to Stress
Individual differences
Age
exercise
diet
social support
health
genes

9. Chapter 8 - Personality
An individual’s consistent patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving.

10. Freud and the Psychodynamic Approach *
Unconscious mind *
Memories outside awareness/not accessible
Repressed memories and emotions.
Preconscious mind *
Thoughts just beneath surface
Voluntary access
Conscious mind *
Thoughts you are aware of
Currently processing

11. Components of Personality (Freud)
A) Id
Primitive impulses, unconscious
pleasure principle
B) Ego *
Conscious, decision maker
Reality Principle
C) Superego *
Unconscious; conscience
Sense of morality; constraints of society

12. Defense Mechanisms Freud’s theory
Self-protective “distortions” of the truth
Unconscious strategies to defend against anxiety

13. Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
Oral (0-18mo) Dependency; oral gratification
Anal (18mo-3y) Control issues; toilet training
Phallic (3-6y) Attraction to opposite sex; identification with same sex
Latency (6-puberty) Associate with same sex
Genital (Adult) Mature Sexuality

14. Five Factor (Big Five) Model *
Traits -- Relatively enduring characteristics that influence our behavior across many situations.
Big Five - 5 Underlying Trait dimensions
Stable over time
Cross culturally shared
Explain substantial proportion of behavior
CANOE: Conscientiousness; Agreeableness; Neuroticism; Open to Experience; Extraversion

15. Humanistic Psychology *
Key Concepts:
Free Will
Self Concept – our beliefs about who we are
Self Esteem – Positive feelings about the self
Maslow – Hierarchy of Needs
Self-Actualization – motive to reach our full potential
Esteem Needs
Love, Belonging
Safety
Physiological Needs

16. Behavioral Genetics *
Scientific Research on Heredity , Environment and the Interaction between the two.
Twin, Family, Adoption Studies
Molecular Genetics (DNA)
Epigenetics (environmental influences on gene expression)
Conclusion: Environment & Genes Interact to influence personality and behavior

17. Personality Tests * Objective Tests * Projective Tests *
Personality Inventories = questionnaires, e.g. MMPI
T/F or MC; answers associated with trait or diagnosis
Projective Tests *
Ask for meaning of ambiguous stimuli
Rorschach – ask to explain image in Inkblots
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) – ask to tell stories about ambiguous pictures

18. Social Cognitive Theory
Bandura
Reciprocal Determinism *
The complex interaction between personality, environment, and behavior.