PSY 202 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Coronary Artery Disease, Hans Selye, Autonomic Nervous System
Document Summary
Psychology chapter 12 textbook notes: stress, coping and health. * stress: response consisting of tension, discomfort of physical symptoms arising when a situation called a stressor (stimulus in environment) strains our ability to cope effectively; traumatic event is a severe stressor. * stress as a response approach assess people"s psychological and physical reactions to stressful situations, measure depression, hopelessness and hostility as well as increases in heart rate and stress hormones called corticosteroids. * hans selye ignited modern day stress research, called pattern of responding to stress (ex. breakdown) general adaptation syndrome which brought us through 3 phases of adaptation * resistance: adapts to stressor and finds a way to cope, opens up cerebral cortex, basal ganglia leads him to calm down, able to breathe and find methods to relax. * exhaustion: if personal resources are limited and we lack coping measures, our resistance may break down leading to damage to organ systems or breakdown in immune system.