Emotions

Stress and health

 What is Stress?

Stress is
the process by which we
perceive and respond to certain
events, called stressors, that we
appraise as threatening or
challenging
Stressors
are the sources of stress but
keep in mind that there is not
one set of stressors that reliably
produces stress in everybody
Stress Appraisal is key Appraisal Response

Threat
(Yikes! This is Panic, freeze up
beyond me!)

Stressful event
(tough math test)

Challenge
(Ive got to apply Aroused, focused
all I know)
 Cannon to Selye

Cannon demonstrated that extreme cold, lack of oxygen

and emotional experiences all had the capacity to initiate
a fight or flight response
Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase and
nonessential functions such as food digestion are inhibited while
stored energy is released
Hans Selye (a Canadian researcher) expanded on these
findings through his rat studies
 Hans Selyes findings

Selye exposed rats to a variety of stressors and measured how

long they could swim before giving up.
Stressors included cold water, restraint, electric shock, surgery, having
whiskers cut off and these greatly reduced the amount of time the rats
would swim

Regardless of the kind of stressor, the rats responded in a

consistent pattern
General Adaptation Syndrome
the bodys adaptive response to stress in three stages
 General Adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Alarm is essentially the same as The bodys resistance to stress can

last only so long before exhaustion sets in
Cannon described (sympathetic
arousal and mental clarity)
Resistance is entered when the
Stress
stressors are prolonged (resting and resistance
arousal functions are simultaneously
taken care of judgement is not as
Stressor
clear) occurs
Exhaustion occurs when stressors
last long enough and are severe Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
enough such that strength and energy Alarm Resistance Exhaustion
reaction (cope with (reserves
levels are very low (physical and (mobilize stressor) depleted)
resources)
psychological resources are depleted)
 There is variability but

Catastrophes
Natural disasters, war, etc.

Significant life changes

Moving, marriage, divorce, having children, getting a job, losing
a job, losing a loved one

Everyday hassles
Mild disagreements, traffic, being late for school, getting a zit,
etc.

Look at the list its not all bad things!

Thomas Holmes and Richard
Rahe
Holmes and Rahe 1967 investigated the
correlations between stress and health
Surveyed 5000 medical patients and asked them to
report on their experiences of a set of 43 life events in
the past two years
Each event, called a Life Change Unit (LCU), had a
different weight for stress. The more events the patient
added up, the higher the score. The higher the score,
and the larger the weight of each event, the more likely
the patient was to become ill
argued that positive life events can be equally or
even more stressful than some negative events
This is not wholly accepted and critics dispute that good life
events are as stressful or that change is a reliable predictor
of stress
How stress impacts health

Remember, eventually everything that is psychological is

biological!
Sympathetic Nervous Systemstress activates the
hypothalamus which signals the sympathetic nervous
system, which then activates the central part of the
adrenal gland to release large amounts of norepinephrine
(Nora-pin-efrin) and epinephrine (ep-e-nef-rin) = (fight or
flight)
The hypothalamus also activates the pituitary gland which
in turn activates the core of the adrenal gland to release
the hormone cortisol
How stress affects health Heart
disease

Persistent stressors
Release of stress Immune
and negative
hormones suppression
emotions

Autonomic nervous
Unhealthy behaviors system effects
(smoking, drinking, (headaches,
poor nutrition and sleep) hypertension)
Cortisol

Long-term, high levels of cortisol

have been linked to increased
depression, post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), memory problems,
substance abuse, impairment of
immune system
Studies in rats have shown that long-
term exposure to cortisol results in
the death of neurons and inhibits
neurogenesis (birth of new neurons)
Chronic stress has an impact on your
cognition!!!
Stress and the immune system

Immune system bodily organs and responses that protect

the body from foreign substances and threats
Expendable in the fight or flight mode
Your immune system can either under react or overreact
when you are stressed.
Lymphocytes - two types of white blood cells that are part
of the bodys immune system but their activity is
suppressed when stressed
B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release
antibodies that fight bacterial infections
T lymphocytes form in the thymus and, among other
duties, attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign
substances
We cannot ignore our hearts

Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman (1970s)

Those who are highly competitive workaholics are more susceptible to
heart disease than mellow, laid back people

Type A
behavior pattern characterized by intense, angry, competitive, or
perfectionistic responses to challenging situations

Type B
behavior pattern characterized
by a relaxed, unstressed
approach to life
 Psychophysiological Illness
mind-body illness
any stress-related physical illness
some forms of hypertension
some headaches
distinct from hypochondria
misinterpreting normal physical
sensations as symptoms of a
disease
Psychological strategies

Coping Dealing with stress by reducing or eliminating

stressful conditions and their effects
Emotion-focused coping
Responding to stress by controlling ones emotional
responses
Problem-focused coping
Responding to stress by identifying, reducing, and
eliminating the stressor
Social support
Resources others provide to help an individual cope with
Psychological coping strategies

Optimistic style of thinking

pattern of thinking that interprets stressors as external in origin,
temporary, and specific in their effects
The power of humor
Evaluating the evidence on attitudes and health

Meditation
Tend and befriend connected to the release of oxytocin (social
bonding hormone and relieves stress)
 Physical coping strategies

Physical coping strategies include:

Exercise
Nutrition and diet
Using drugs as stress relievers is more of a
defense than a coping strategy
 Life events

Personal appraisal
Challenge Threat

Personality type
Easy going, Nondepressed, Hostile, Depressed,
Optimistic Pessimistic

Personal habits
Nonsmoking, Regular Smoking, Sedentary,
exercise, Good nutrition Poor nutrition

Level of social support

Close, enduring Lacking

Tendency toward
Health Illness
Stress sleep

Subfields of Alternative Medicine

Alternative systems of Health care ranging from self-care according to folk principles,
medical practice to care rendered in an organized health care system based on
alternative traditions or practices

Bioelectromagnetic The study of how living organisms interact with electromagnetic

applications (EM) fields

Diet, nutrition, The knowledge of how to prevent illness, maintain health, and
life-style changes reverse the effects of chronic disease through dietary or
nutritional intervention

Herbal medicine Employing plan and plant products from folk medicine traditions
for pharmacological use

Manual healing Using touch and manipulation with the hands as a diagnostic
and therapeutic tool

Mind-body control Exploring the minds capacity to affect the body, based on
traditional medical systems that make use of the interconnected-
ness of mind and body

Pharmacological and Drugs and vaccines not yet accepted by mainstream medicine
biological treatments
 22

Sources of Everyday Stress

Relationships are complex

Differences in morality & ethics
Conflicting expectations
Poor communication
Technology changes
Lack of job security
Limited/no organizational loyalty
Economic overextension
 23

Sources of Everyday Stress

Change, whether positive or negative

Hassles: small annoyances
Pressure: must get an A in psychology
Frustration: cant do what you want
Conflict: 2 or more incompatible goals
Self-imposed stress
 Types of Conflict 24

Approach/approach conflict:
Simultaneous attraction to two appealing
possibilities, neither of which has any negative
qualities.
Avoidance/avoidance conflict:
Facing a choice between two undesirable
possibilities, neither of which has any positive
qualities.
Approach/avoidance conflict:
Simultaneous attraction and repulsion to the same
goal.
 Types of Direct Coping 25

Confrontation:
Acknowledging a stressful situation
directly and attempting to find a solution
to the problem
Compromise:
Choosing a more realistic goal when an
ideal goal cannot be met
Withdrawal:
Avoiding a situation when other options
 26

Defensive Coping:
Defense Mechanisms

Denial:
Refusal to acknowledge a painful or threatening
reality
Repression:
Excluding uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and
desires from consciousness
Projection:
Attributing our own repressed motives, feelings, or
wishes to others
 27
Defense Coping:
Identification:
Taking on the characteristics of someone
else to avoid feeling incompetent.
Regression:
Reverting to childlike behavior and
defenses.
Intellectualization:
Thinking abstractly about stressful
problems as a way of detaching oneself
from them.
 28
Defense Coping:
Reaction formation:
Expression of exaggerated ideas and emotions that are the
opposite of ones repressed beliefs or feelings.
Displacement:
Shifting repressed motives and emotions from an original
object to a substitute object.
Sublimation:
Redirecting repressed motives and feelings into more
socially acceptable channels.
Ex. Donald has started working out at the gym since his
partner broke up with him
 29

Managing Your Stress

Learn and practice good time management skills

Homework first, then fun
Social support
Relaxation techniques
Meditation
Breathing exercises
Guided imagery