1. Psychology in Action (8e) by Karen Huffman
Chapter 3: Stress and
Health Psychology
Karen Huffman, Palomar College
Presented by:
Mani Rafiee

2. Lecture Overview Understanding Stress Stress and Illness
Health Psychology in Action
Health and Stress Management

3. Understanding Stress What is Stress?
A nonspecific response of the body to any stressor;
the arousal, both physical and mental, to situations or events that we perceive as threatening or challenging.

4. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress

5. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)
Cataclysmic Events: stressors that occur suddenly and generally affect many people simultaneously

6. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)
Chronic Stressors: ongoing, long lasting, unpleasant events

7. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)
Life Changes:
life events that require some adjustment in behavior or lifestyle

8. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)

9. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)
Hassles::
small, everyday problems that accumulate to become source of stress

10. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)
Occupation Burnout: state of psychological and physical exhaustion resulting from chronic exposure to high levels of stress and little personal control

11. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)
Frustration unpleasant tension resulting from a blocked goal
Conflict forced choice between two or more incompatible goals or impulses

12. Understanding Stress: Sources of Stress (Continued)
Three Types of Conflict
Approach-Approach: forced choice between two or more desirable alternatives
Avoidance-Avoidance: forced choice between two or more undesirable alternatives
Approach-Avoidance: forced choice between two or more alternatives both having desirable and undesirable results

13. Understanding Stress: Effects of Stress
Sympathetic
Nervous
System
HPA Axis

14. Understanding Stress: Effects of Stress (Continued)
Stress and the HPA Axis:
Prolonged elevation of cortisol is related to:
increased depression, memory problems, etc.
impaired immune system, which leaves the body vulnerable to disease.

15. Understanding Stress: Effects of Stress (Continued)
Stress and the Immune System
Psychoneuroimmunology: interdisciplinary field that studies the effect of psychological factors on the immune system

16. Understanding Stress: Effects of Stress (Continued)
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion

17. Stress and Illness
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): anxiety disorder following exposure to extraordinary stress
Gastric Ulcers: caused by bacteria or stress?
Cancer: related to hereditary disposition and environmental factors
Cardiovascular Disorders: contributing factors include stress hormones, certain personality types, and certain behaviors

18. Stress and Illness (Continued)

19. Health Psychology in Action
Health Psychology: studies how biological, psychological, and social factors affect health and illness
Major Health Risks:
Tobacco
Alcohol and Binge Drinking
Chronic Pain (lasting over 6 months)

20. Health Psychology in Action (Continued)
Does this graph surprise you? Smokers often overestimate their risk of dying from homicide and traffic accidents, and greatly underestimate the risk from smoking.

21. Health and Stress Management
Two major approaches to coping with stress:
emotion-focused (changing one's perception of stressful situations)
problem-focused (using problem-solving strategies to decrease or eliminate the source of stress)

22. Health and Stress Management (Continued)
Our emotional reaction to stress largely depends on how we interpret it.

23. Health and Stress Management (Continued)
Resources for Healthy Living
Health and Exercise
Positive Beliefs
Social Skills
Social Support
Material Resources
Control (Internal locus of control)
Relaxation

24. Stress and Health Psychology
Psychology in Action (8e) by Karen Huffman
Chapter 3:
Stress and Health Psychology
Presented by:
Mani rafiee