PSYC30014 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Major Depressive Disorder, Cortisol, Sleep Disorder
10 May 2018
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Lecture 3
- Stress: broad concept incorporated in engineering, physiology, medicine, and
psychology; word employed in everyday language (noun [to cause stress], verb [to
stress a point], adjective [an animal can exhibit a stress response]); used to denote
human suffering since the 14th century
- Stress definition: stress is the physical, mental and emotional human response to a
particular stimulus, otherwise called as ‘stressor’
- Stress is a biological and psychological response experienced on encountering a
threat that we feel we do not have the resources to deal/cope with
- Stress is an individual response to an event, what makes one stressed will not make
another stressed
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- Release adrenaline and cortisol hormones → speed up high rate and breathing,
increase blood pressure and metabolism, blood vessels dilate, put muscles on high
alert, pupils dilate (to improve vision), liver releases glucose (more energy), sweat
produced to cool body → allows you to be activated and ready to react to certain
stimulus
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- One major shortcoming of the biological conceptualisation of stress - limited (only
focus on the impact of stressors at a biological level; cannot fully explain individual
responses to stressors)
- Psychological conceptualisations of stress: stress as a stimulus → a stressful event
elicits a coping response; externalises the cause of distress; life events, hassles,
traumatic events etc; assumes that all individuals will respond in the same way to a
given stressor
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Document Summary
Stress definition: stress is the physical, mental and emotional human response to a particular stimulus, otherwise called as stressor". Stress is a biological and psychological response experienced on encountering a threat that we feel we do not have the resources to deal/cope with. Stress is an individual response to an event, what makes one stressed will not make another stressed. One major shortcoming of the biological conceptualisation of stress - limited (only focus on the impact of stressors at a biological level; cannot fully explain individual responses to stressors) Acute stress: limited stressor, elicited different type of stress reaction than chronic stress [job strain, being bullied everyday in school], different reaction, acute stress can also be exciting (a ride in theme park) Chronic stress: enduring, being married to non-supportive spouse. As a society starting to experience more stress. Big five: ocean, openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Sleep disturbance, obesity, pain conditions, other health conditions with personality disorders.
