PSY 1001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Asthma, Guided Imagery, Acupuncture
7 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Psychology 1001 / Temple University
Chapter 12: Stress, Coping, and Health: The Mind-Body Interconnection / April 9-12
Book and Lecture notes
Book: Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding (4th Edition) / Professor: Dr. Drabick
*Disclaimer: Most of the definitions used in this these notes are copied directly from the book. All sources listed on the last page. *
Notes by: Kirstin Ortiz
Stress – The tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a situation,
called a stressor – a type of stimulus – strains our ability to cope effectively
➢ Do not confuse stress with trauma – a stressor that’s so severe that it can
produce long-term psychological or health consequences
3 ways to approach the study of stress:
1) Stressors as Stimuli – Identifies individual situations that are classified as
stressful events
➢ Some of them can affect each other and cumulate (e.g. College students
tend to handle breakups worse than adults who are not in college)
➢ Doesn’t capture the fact that people cope with stress differently and have
different resources
2) Stress as a Response – Assesses people’s psychological and physical reactions to
stressful circumstances (correlates and outcomes)
Corticosteroid – Stress hormone that activates the body and prepares us to respond to
stressful circumstances
Posttraumatic Growth – The perception of beneficial change or personal transformation
in the struggle to overcome adversity
3) Stress as a Transaction – Examines the interaction between potentially stressful
life events and how people interpret and cope with them
➢ Appraising the event: “Is it stressful?” “Can I cope?”
Primary Appraisal – Initial decision regarding whether an event is harmful
Secondary Appraisal – Perceptions regarding our ability to cope with an event that
follows primary appraisal
Problem-Focused Coping – Coping strategy by which we problem solve and tackle life’s
challenges head on
Emotion-Focused Coping – Coping strategy that features a positive outlook on feelings
or situations accompanied by behaviors that reduce painful emotions
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Two Scales for Measuring stress:
1) Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)
• Created by David Holmes and colleagues in the 60’s
• Based on 43 life events like “jail term” and “personal injury or illness” (ranked in
terms of their stressfulness)
• Indicates that the number of stressful events people report over the previous year
associated with a variety of physical disorders, psychological disorders like
depression, and suicide attempts
• Does not consider other stressors that are not measured as easily. Also, does not
take correlation vs. causation into account
• Does not consider individual differences in “stressful” situations; sudden death
is typically different from the death of someone who has been sick for a while,
but they would score the same on this test
Hassle – Minor annoyance or nuisance that strains out ability to cope
➢ Hassles Scale
o Measures how stressful events, ranging from small annoyances to major
daily pressures, impact our adjustments
o Both major life events and hassles effect our adjustment
Hans Selye:
• Published The Stress of Life, a landmark book that included decades of research
on the effects of prolonged stress on the body
• Believed that too much stress leads to outcomes
• Coined the terms eustress, or good stress, and distress, bad stress
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) – Stress-response pattern proposed by Hans Selye
that consists of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
➢ Alarm: Involves excitation of the autonomic nervous system, the discharge of the
stress hormone adrenaline, and physical symptoms of anxiety (E.g. A firefighter
responding to a call)
o Fight-or-Flight Response – Physical and psychological reaction that
mobilizes people and animals to either defend themselves (fight) or escape
(flee) a threatening situation
➢ Resistance – Adaptation to and coping with the stressor (E.g. The firefighter
putting the fire out and rescuing people)
➢ Exhaustion – Personal resources are limited, and we lack good coping measures;
resistance breaks down and may cause major health problems over time (E.g.
The firefighter after the call)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Chapter 12: stress, coping, and health: the mind-body interconnection / april 9-12. Book: psychology: from inquiry to understanding (4th edition) / professor: dr. drabick. *disclaimer: most of the definitions used in this these notes are copied directly from the book. Stress the tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a situation, called a stressor a type of stimulus strains our ability to cope effectively. Do not confuse stress with trauma a stressor that"s so severe that it can produce long-term psychological or health consequences. 3 ways to approach the study of stress: stressors as stimuli identifies individual situations that are classified as stressful events. Some of them can affect each other and cumulate (e. g. college students tend to handle breakups worse than adults who are not in college) Doesn"t capture the fact that people cope with stress differently and have different resources: stress as a response assesses people"s psychological and physical reactions to stressful circumstances (correlates and outcomes)
