PSYC 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Sympathetic Nervous System, Stress (Biology), Hans Selye
Document Summary
The physiological & psychological response to conditions that threaten or challenge: can be caused by negative or positive events (eustress) How you interpret the stressor determine your stress response. Brain activities the sympathetic nervous system and inhibits the para sympathetic nervous system. Neurotransmitters (such as norepinephrine) and hormones are released. Breathing, hr (heart rate), and blood pressure increase. Prolonged stress can negatively affect immune system functioning. Stress triggers the same kind of response as infections. However, chronic stress wears down the body"s resources. In the short term, stress can have positive effects on the immune system. Alarm: a threat that mobilizes body resistance to stress. Exhaustion: the organisms" resources for dealing with stress are exhausted stress resistance drops off. Body is trying to deal with stressor, so energy output is increased. Because hr and respiration rate increase, so does blood flow. Newer research shows (since this was proposes in the 1970s) that rather than exhaustion.
