1. Health Psychology
Chapter 12
Stress

2. Lifestyle Awareness Triangle
On a piece of paper draw a “lifestyle triangle”. The three sides of the triangle should represent:
School and/or work
Lesiure/recreational activities
Relationships with others
The length of each side should accurately reflect the amount of time and energy spent.
What are some implications of having a very uneven triangle????

3. SOURCES OF STRESS Worries Survey Life Changes
Social Readjustment Scale
College Life Stress Inventory (p. 482)
average
Everyday Hassles
Hassles- life’s petty annoyances
Pressure- change behavior to live up to expectations
Frustrations- can’t reach goals
Delays, lack of resources, losses, failure, discrimination
Road Rage- behavioral syndrome
Conflict- simultaneous demands (Kurt Lewin)
Approach/Approach
Avoidance/Avoidance
Approach/Avoidance
How do you most handle conflict?????
Worries Survey

4. Stress and Individual Differences
Primary Appraisal
How much is at stake?
Secondary Appraisal
Believe one has the skill to deal with stress
Optimism vs. Pessimism
Hardiness
Tolerate stress well; open to change
Resilience
Ability to bounce back/recover one’s self-confidence
Self-Imposed Stress
Albert Ellis- irrational and self-defeating thinking and talk

5. COPING WITH STRESS Cope Direct Coping
Make a cognitive and behavioral changes to manage stress
Direct Coping
Confrontation- acknowledge stressful situation directly; find a solution to problem
Ask someone why they are made at you.
Compromise- realistic solutions when ideal is not practical
I am not a straight A student, and it’s okay but I am better than a C student
Withdrawal- avoiding a situation
Breaking up with special someone over a text-message

6. Defense Mechanisms- self deceptive techniques for reducing stress (make self feel good)
Denial- refusal to acknowledge something wrong
Repression- push painful memories into unconscious
Projection- blaming others for own problems
Identification act like someone else to avoid feeling incompetent
Regression- reverting to childlike behavior
Intellectualization- think abstractly about stressful things to detach oneself
Reaction Formation- express opposite feelings
Displacement- take anger out on something or someone
Sublimation- redirect feelings in a socially acceptable way
Defense Mechanisms Handout

7. STRESS AND HEALTH Hypothalamus stimulates sympathetic nervous system
Release stress hormones: adrenaline and norephinephrine; liver and bone borrow increase to protect against infections
“Fight or Flight” Response
Hans Selye- react to physical and psychological stressors in three stages called General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Alarm Reaction- sympathic nervous system fires up
Resistance- physical symptoms and other signs of strain appear
Exhaustion- draw on ineffective defense mechanisms- may result in “burn out”

8. STRESS AND HEART DISEASE
Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA
Stress Damages heart vessels
Cortisol increases BP; cause erratic heartbeats
“Hardening” of the arteries
Can lead to a sudden heart attack
How we respond to stress is very important in protecting our hearts
Type A: impatient, hostility, competitiveness, urgency
Can lead to toxic behaviors like drinking, smoking, overeating, not exercising, sleep deprivation
Type B also suffer from CHD

9. Stress and Immune System
Psychoneruoimmunology (PNI)
Studies the interaction between stress and the endocrine system and the nervous system
Links between common cold and stress
Cancer and stress in mice

10. Staying Healthy Calm Down Reach Out Cope Effectively Exercise
Relaxation Techniques
Reach Out
Social Support
Cope Effectively
Proactive coping- anticipate stressful events and take steps to avoid them
Positive Reappraisal- make the best of bad situations
Humor-- Laughter is sometimes the best medicine

11. Extreme Stress Unemployment or Underemployment Divorce or Separation
Bereavement (myths)
Should be intensely distressed
Work through their grief
Find meaning in death (spirituality)
Recover in a year or so
Catastrophes
Shock Stage- stunned and dazed
Suggestible Stage- passive, ready to cooperate
Recovery- regain emotional balance (may never happen or take years)
Combat and other threatening personal attacks
War time; rape victims, molestation cases, violent crimes, car accidents
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Nightmares; flashbacks; withdrawal from social life
May not come out until years after
Need supportive social network to overcome