Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Psychology Chapter 3
3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Stress | a psychological and physiological experience that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and/or efforts to cope |
| Stressor | a stimulus (internal or external) that prompts the stress response |
| stress components | psychological (subjective) and physiological (objective) |
| Internal stressor | a stimulus from within a person’s body that prompts the stress response, physchological and biological processes |
| internal stressor examples | Attitude pessimistic attitude eveluates things outside their control Rumination Low self-esteem Nervous system dysfunction – The dysfunction of the production of certain neurotransmitters like GABA |
| External stressor | a stimulus from outside of a person’s body that prompts the stress response, enviromental stimuli |
| external stressors can include: | • a test or an exam • meeting new people • arguments with friends and/or family members • working long hours • financial difficulties. |
| external and internal relationship | do not work in isolation, it is quite common for both internal and external stressors to contribute to somebody experiencing the stress response. |
| Psychological stress responses | relates to how we think or feel about a stressor and differs between different people. subjective nature of stress is described by eustress and distress |
| Distress | a form of stress characterised by a negative psychological state, Distress often occurs when a stressor presents an individual with an undesirable circumstance that appears to lead only to a negative outcome. |
| Eustress | a form of stress characterised by a positive psychological state, involves positive emotions, such as feeling inspired and motivated, and tends to occur when the stressor provides a positive opportunity or circumstance for the individual. |
| eustress and distress effect on perfomance | high levels of eustress prompt an increase in performance and functioning. Distress also prompts high performance, however if it becomes so overwhelming that an individual cannot cope, performance may decrease. |
| Physiological stress responses | relates to how the body reacts to a stressor. usually experienced in similar ways between different people, different biological stress responses will occur depending on the length of time that the stressor demands somebody’s attention |
| Acute stress | a form of stress characterised by intense psychological and physiological symptoms that are brief in duration, This form of stress presents an immediate threat to an organism’s safety. |
| The flight-or-fight-orfreeze response | an involuntary and automatic response to a threat that takes the form of either escaping it, confronting it, or freezing in the face of it |
| when is the The flight-or-fight-orfreeze response | The flight-or-fight-or-freeze response is therefore a common response during acute stress for lots of different organisms, including humans as it is an adpative response |
| Chronic stress | a form of stress that endures for several months or longer, demands a long term biological response that will energise their body for weeks or months |
| Cortisol | a hormone that is released in times of stress to aid the body in initiating and maintaining heightened arousal |
| why is cortisol long term? | stimulated by a different pathway when compared to adrenaline, released over a more prolonged period and takes longer to be secreted. This allows the body to continue to deal with stress for longer, rather than simply face an imminent threat. |
| cortisol serves the adaptive functions of: | increasing blood sugar levels • improving metabolism • energising the body • reducing inflammation. |
| cortisol long term defects | can suppress the immune system because it causes the body’s functions to operate at heightened levels, depleting the energy required to fight off bacteria |
| Stress as a biological process | Biological processes relate to physiological experiences that occur in the body, such as immune system functioning and the release of hormones. |
| General Adaption Syndrome (GAS) | a biological model involving three stages of physiological reactions that a person experiences in response to a persistent stressor, It explains the experience of stress from a biological perspective |
| Alarm reaction | the first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome involving the initial decrease and subsequent increase in bodily arousal in response to an immediate stressor |
| 2 substages of alarm reaction | shock and counter shock. |
| Shock | the first substage of the alarm reaction stage involving decreased bodily arousal for a brief period of time following the initial exposure to a stressor |
| shock biological processes | body reacts as though it has been injured, their levels of bodily arousal, and therefore their ability to deal with the stressor, are reduced to below normal. bodily processes depleat |
| Counter shock | the second substage of the alarm reaction stage in which sympathetic nervous system responses occur that mobilise the body to respond to the stressor |
| Counter shock process | the activation of the sympathetic nervous system causes physiological reactions to occur. eg increased heart rate, release of adrenaline or cortisol When a person enters counter shock, their levels of bodily arousal increase to above normal. |
| Resistance | the second stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome involving maintaining high levels of bodily arousal in response to a persistent stressor |
| resistance processes | levels of bodily arousal, and therefore the ability to deal with the stressor, remain above normal. Increased cortisol levels, adaptive stage because the body adjusts to the physiological changes that occurred during counter shock |
| Exhaustion | the third stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome involving the depletion of energy levels and bodily resources, resulting in an inability to cope with the stressor, exposure to the stressor has been prolonged and persistent. |
| exhaustion processes | the body becomes unable to maintain these heightened levels of physiological arousal because bodily resources, such as energy and stress hormones, have been depleted, can no longer cope with the demands of the stressor and cant confront other stressors |
| exhaustion and cortisol | cortisol have been present in the bloodstream for a prolonged period of time, suppressing immune system functioning, vulnerable to both physiological and psychological illnesses eg fatigue, high blood pressure, sickness, anxiety etc |
| Strengths of the GAS | recognises a predictable pattern of physiological responses associated with distinct stages and substages recognises the relationship between chronic stress and illness. provides objective, empirical information about the biological processes |
| limitations of the GAS | based on research that was conducted on rats, reducing the generalisability only focuses on the biological aspects of stress prescribes a uniform model that is the same for every individual in response to all stressors |
| Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping | proposes that stress is a subjective ‘transaction’ between an incoming stressor and the personal and environmental factors, |
| rus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping explained | explains that the unique stress response of an individual results from their appraisal of the nature of the stressor and their belief in their ability to cope with it, acording to the model, stress is due to the percieved imbalance of coping mechanisms |
| Primary appraisal | the initial process of evaluating the nature of an incoming stressor, specifically the kind of stress it might cause |
| primary appraisal ways to be appraised | Benign-positive. • Irrelevant. • Stressful. |
| Benign-positive | an initial appraisal of a stimulus as neutral or good that does not cause stress for the individual |
| Irrelevant | an initial appraisal of a stimulus as a non-issue for the individua |
| Stressful | an initial appraisal of a stimulus as a source of worry or emotional significance for the individual |
| Primary appraisal continued | The transaction continues only if this initial component of primary appraisal evaluates an incoming stimulus as ‘stressful’, the stimulus (now called a stressor) undergoes further appraisal, being labelled according to the form of stress it causes. |
| three potential forms of stress appraisal: | Harm/loss. • Threat. • Challenge. |
| Harm/loss | a further appraisal of a stressor as having caused some damage to the individual |
| Threat | a further appraisal of a stressor as potentially causing damage to the individual in the future |
| Challenge | a further appraisal of a stressor as potentially providing a positive opportunity for growth or change for the individual |
| Secondary appraisal | the process of evaluating the resources required and available in order to cope with a stressor |
| Lazarus and Folkman’s model two different kinds of coping strategies individuals may use to deal with a stressor. | Emotion-focused coping • Problem-focused coping: |
| Emotion-focused coping | the use of coping strategies that target the emotional components of a stressor, dealing with it indirectly rather than confronting its source |
| Problem-focused coping | the use of coping strategies that directly target the source of the stressor, aiming to reduce it in a practical way |
| strengths of the Lazarus and Folkman’s model pt 1 | Allows one to track the subjective stress response of an individual. Allows for consideration of cognitive processes within the stress response Human subjects were used as a source of data |
| strengths of the Lazarus and Folkman’s model pt 2 | Helps to explain why the same stressor may have different effects on different people. provides suggestions for dealing with a stressor. |
| limitations of the Lazarus and Folkman’s model pt 1 | Some argue that the stages of primary and secondary appraisal can occur simultaneously, and so ordering them chronologically is reflective of true nature Individuals are not necessarily aware of why they feel certain kinds of stress |
| limitations of the Lazarus and Folkman’s model pt 2 | Does not include biological processes of stress, Cannot easily be tested by research, as human subjects are not necessarily consciously aware at all stages of appraisal, and therefore there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the model. |
| Gut (also known as the gastrointestinal tract) | the long flexible tube from mouth to anus that is the passageway involved in digestion, The gut is responsible for processing food, absorbing nutrients, and excreting waste |
| components of the gut | rectum, anus, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, oesophagus, mouth |
| Gut microbiota | all of the microorganisms that live in the gut |
| Gut microbiome | all of the genes of the microorganisms that live in the gut |
| gut microbiota dysbiosis | When the gut microbiota is imbalanced, meaning there is not enough ‘good’ bacteria and too much ‘bad’ bacteria |
| gut microbiota symbiosis | when the gut microbiota is balanced, |
| Gut-brain axis | the bidirectional connection between the gut and the brain through the enteric and central nervous systems |
| enteric nervous system | the network of nerves in the gut and is a subdivision of the autonomic nervous system |
| enteric nervous system relatiohsip with the CNS | Nerves within the enteric nervous system communicate with nerves in the central nervous system, therefore reflecting the relationship between the gut and the brain. |
| Vagus nerve | the longest cranial nerve that connects the gut and the brain, enabling them to communicate, responsible for bidirectionally conveying information between the gut and the brain. |
| vagus nerve distribution | 10–20% of nerve fibres in the vagus nerve are involved in conveying information from the brain to the gut and 80–90% are responsible for conveying information from the gut to the brain |
| The gut-brain axis in psychological processes and behaviour | The composition of gut microbiota can impact psychological processes and behaviour. a diverse gut microbiota is associated with greater levels of overall health, ‘good’ bacteria has positive influences on psychological processes and behaviour. |
| emerging research on the gut brain axis | germ-free animal studies • comparing microbiota composition in humans • exploring gut-related diseases and their impacts on cognition and emotion. |
| Germ-free animal studies | compare certain behaviours and psychological processes in germ-free animals with non-germ-free animals, changes in anxiety behvaiour and responses, poorer memory function, increased secretion of stress hormones less social engagement and interaction i |
| Germ-free animals | animals that have had microorganisms from their gut microbiota removed |
| Microbiota composition in humans | compared the microbiota in healthy individuals and individuals with different psychological or behavioural patterns, can influence the likelihood of experiencing autism spectrum disorder mental and psychotic disorders cognitive decline |
| stress and gut microbiota relationship | studies show that experiencing stress can negatively impact the diversity and composition of an individual’s gut microbiota, , having an unhealthy gut microbiota is linked to higher stress levels |
| Gut-related diseases | focuses on individuals with gut-related diseases and their experiences of anxiety, depression, and other cognitive and/or emotional problems. eg irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. |
| Coping | the process of dealing with stress Mental wellbeing a |
| Mental wellbeing | an individual’s current state of mind, including their ability to think, process information, and regulate emotions |
| Context-specific effectiveness | when the coping strategy or mechanism used is appropriate for the unique demands of the stressor |
| Context-specific effectiveness example | upcoming psychology SAC is the stressor, the specific context of each student will differ. Therefore, the most effective coping strategy will be different for a student that has already studied the content, compared to one who has not. |
| Coping flexibility | an individual’s ability to adjust or change their coping strategies depending on the unique and changing demands of a stressor |
| Coping flexibility explained | . Someone’s first choice of coping strategy may no longer be the most effective if something about the individual, environment, or stressor changes, or if one’s initial choice of strategy hasn’t provided any relief. |
| Coping flexibility link to Context-specific effectiveness | Having high levels of coping flexibility ensures that an individual can achieve context-specific effectiveness, and leads to greater levels of general wellbeing as individuals are able to adjust their approach to many different situations |
| There are two different coping strategies | • approach strategies • avoidance strategies. |
| Approach strategies | coping strategies that directly confront the source of the stress , thus reduce or eliminate it. |
| Avoidance strategies | coping strategies that evade the stressor, seeking to indirectly reduce stress |
Created by:
user-1932325