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CHAPTER
11 Stress and Health Psychology
Links to Learning Objectives
ENDURING ISSUES IN STRESS AND
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
SOURCES OF STRESS
Major sources of stress; three types of conflict;
self-imposed stress
Individual differences
COPING WITH STRESS
Direct & defensive coping
Socioeconomic status, culture, & gender
HOW STRESS AFFECTS HEALTH
How the body responds to stress
Heart disease
Immune system
STAYING HEALTHY
Four proven ways to reduce stress
Coping effectively
Four elements of a healthy lifestyle
EXTREME STRESS
Five major sources of extreme stress
THE WELL-ADJUSTED PERSON
Standards for judging who is well-adjusted
Diversity-Universality
Stability-Change
Mind-Body
Nature-Nurture
Person-Situation To what extent do the
methods that people use in
coping with stress depend
on the environment in which
they find themselves?
Enduring Issues
Diversity-Universality
Stability-Change
Mind-Body
Nature-Nurture
Person-Situation To what extent do
people respond differently
to severe stress?
Enduring Issues
Diversity-Universality
Stability-Change
Mind-Body
Nature-Nurture
Person-Situation Can
psychological
stress cause
physical illness?
Enduring Issues
Sources of Stress
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Sources of Stress
Stressor: Any environmental
demand that • Creates a state of tension or threat
(stress)
• Requires change or adaptation (adjustment)
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Distinguish
between stressors and stress. Identify the
major sources of stress. Describe the three
types of conflict. Explain what is meant by
“self-imposed stress.”
Change
• All stressful events
involve change.
• Most people prefer order,
continuity, and predictability in
their lives, so anything requiring
change (good or bad) can be
experienced as stressful.
• The more change required, the
more stressful the situation.
CHANGE STRESS
College Life Stress Inventory
Hassles can be as stressful as major life
events, since they lead to feelings of:
Pressure
Frustration
Conflict
Everyday Hassles
Pressure
A feeling that one must
speed up, intensify, or
change the direction of
one’s behavior or live
up to a higher standard
of performance
Pressure
Frustration
The feeling that occurs when a person is prevented from reaching a goal
Causes include:
– Delays
– Lack of resources
– Losses
– Failure
– Discrimination
Frustration
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Conflict
The simultaneous existence of incompatible demands, opportunities, needs, or goals
Types of conflict:
• Approach/approach
• Avoidance/avoidance
• Approach/avoidance
Conflict
Types of Conflict
Self-Imposed Stress
When individuals carry
around a set of irrational,
self-defeating beliefs that
add unnecessarily to the
normal stress of living
• Pessimists
• People with an external locus of control
• Optimists
• People with an internal locus of control
• People with the hardiness trait
• People who are resilient
LESS LIKELY TO COPE
WELL WITH STRESS
MORE LIKELY TO COPE
WELL WITH STRESS:
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the role of optimism and pessimism, locus of
control, hardiness, and resilience in affecting people’s response to stress.
Stress and Individual Differences
Coping with Stress
Defensive coping:
Various ways people
convince themselves
– through a form of
self-deception – that
they are not really
threatened or do not
really want something
they cannot get
Ways of Coping with Stress
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Compare and contrast direct coping and defensive coping. Describe and
give an example of the three strategies for coping directly with stress. Describe and give an example of the major ways of coping defensively.
Direct coping:
intentional efforts
to change an
uncomfortable
situation
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Acknowledging a stressful
situation directly and
attempting to find a
solution to the problem
or to attain
the difficult
goal
Direct Coping
Withdrawal
Compromise
Confrontation Deciding on a more realistic
solution or goal when an ideal
solution or goal is not practical
Direct Coping
Withdrawal
Compromise
Confrontation
Avoiding a situation
when other forms
of coping are
not practical
Direct Coping
Withdrawal
Compromise
Confrontation
Applying Psychology
Plan ahead.
Exercise.
Take a study break.
Talk to other people.
Meditate or use other relaxation techniques.
Take a stress-reduction workshop.
Denial
Repression
Projection
Refusal to
acknowledge
a painful or
threatening
reality Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Excluding uncomfortable
thoughts, feelings,
and desires from
consciousness
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
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Attributing one’s repressed
motives, feelings,
or wishes to
others
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
Taking on the characteristics
of someone else to avoid
feeling incompetent
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
Reverting to
childlike
behavior and
defenses
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
Thinking abstractly about
stressful problems as
a way of detaching
oneself
from them
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
Expression of exaggerated
ideas and emotions that are
the opposite of
one’s repressed
beliefs
or feelings
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
Shifting repressed motives
and emotions from an
original object to
a substitute
object
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
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Redirecting repressed
motives and feelings
into more socially
acceptable
channels
Defensive Coping
TYPES OF DEFENSE
MECHANISMS:
Denial
Repression
Projection
Identification
Regression
Intellectualization
Reaction Formation
Displacement
Sublimation
Socioeconomic
Status Culture
Gender
Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Gender Differences in Coping with Stress
People in lower socioeconomic classes have to deal with more stress than people who are financially secure.
• Less effective coping
• Fewer resources
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain how socioeconomic status, culture, and gender affect levels of
stress and ways of coping with stress.
Cultural background influences the way that individuals cope with stress.
• Most European Americans: Explicit social support
• Most Asian Americans: Implicit social support
Men and women may cope differently with stress.
• Men: Alcohol, aggression
• Women: Rumination, tending-and-befriending; also report experiencing more stress
How Stress Affects Health
• Health psychology: A subfield
of psychology concerned with
the relationship between
psychological factors and
physical health and illness
• Acute or chronic stress is linked
to lowered immunity, and poor
health makes people more
vulnerable to everything from
the common cold to an
increased risk for heart disease.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain why “experiencing too much stress over too
long a period can contribute to physical problems.” In your explanation, include Cannon’s theory of the fight-or-flight response and the several stages of Selye’s
general adaptation syndrome.
How Stress Affects Health
Cannon’s Theory of
Fight-or-Flight
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain why “experiencing too much stress over too long a
period can contribute to physical problems.” In your explanation, include Cannon’s
theory of the fight-or-flight response and the several stages of Selye’s general
adaptation syndrome.
The Body’s Response to Stress
• The hypothalamus
stimulates the sympathetic
branch of the autonomic
nervous system and the
adrenal glands to release
stress hormones such as
adrenaline and
norepinephrine into
the blood.
• The physiological response
mobilizes the body to
respond to external threats
by attacking or fleeing.
Fight-or-Flight Response
Source: Figure from p. 54 by Laurie Gracie in “Invisible Wounds” by R.F. Mollica, Scientific American, June 2000. Copyright © 2000. Reprinted by permission.
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General Adaptation Syndrome
Stage 1:
Alarm reaction
Stage 2:
Resistance
Stage 3:
Exhaustion
Stress and Heart Disease
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Summarize the evidence that shows chronic stress can
contribute to heart disease. Include Type A and Type D personalities in your summary.
Stress is a major
contributing factor
in the development
of coronary heart
disease (CHD), the
leading cause of
death and disability
in the U.S. Certain
behavior patterns
are linked to CHD:
Type D Personality
Characteristics:
• Depression
• Negative emotions
• Social inhibition
Link to CHD:
• Cortisol
Type A Personality
Characteristics:
• Hostility
• Competiveness
• Urgency
• Constant striving
Link to CHD:
• High heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Chronic anger
• Hostility
• Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI):
Studies the interaction between
stress and immune, endocrine,
and nervous system activity
• Chronic stress has been linked
to suppressed functioning of the
immune system, especially with
respiratory illness.
• The research on a possible link
between stress and cancer is
mixed.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Summarize the research evidence that “stress
also affects the functioning of the immune system.”
Stress and the Immune System
Staying Healthy
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the four proven ways to reduce stress.
Ways
to reduce
stress:
Reduce Stress
Religion/
Altruism
Effective coping skills Exercise/
Relaxation/
Training
Social support
Coping Effectively
Proactive coping: Anticipating stressful events
and taking steps to avoid
them or minimize their
impact
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain the role of proactive coping, positive reappraisal,
and humor in reducing stress.
Positive reappraisal: Finding a new meaning
in a situation, or finding a
perspective or insight
that you had overlooked
to view events as being
more positive
– Humor: One of
the most effective,
stress-relieving forms
of reappraisal
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Avoid
High-Risk
Behaviors
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the four elements of a healthy lifestyle.
Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle
Extreme Stress
1
2
3
4
5
Catastrophes
Combat and other threatening personal attacks
Unemployment
Divorce and separation
Bereavement
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the five major sources of extreme stress and
describe their impact.
Sources of Extreme Stress Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD): Psychological disorder
characterized by episodes of
anxiety, sleeplessness, and
nightmares resulting from some
disturbing past event; also
daytime flashbacks
• Posttraumatic Growth (PTG):
Positive growth that may follow
an extremely stressful event
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain the role of proactive coping, positive reappraisal,
and humor in reducing stress.
The Well-Adjusted Person
The Well-Adjusted Person
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the several standards for
judging whether an individual is well adjusted.
Psychologists disagree about what constitutes good adjustment. • Some think it is the ability to live
according to social norms.
• Others argue that well-adjusted people enjoy the difficulties and ambiguities of life, treating them as challenges to be overcome.
• According to Abraham Maslow, well-adjusted people attempt to “actualize” themselves; they live in a way that enhances their own growth and fulfillment.
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Acknowledgments
Slide # Image Description Image Source
text template upside down blue sky & grass ©iStockphoto.com/Konrad Lew
chapter template frustrated tennis player ©istockphoto.com/Özgür Donmaz
3 stock exchange chaos ©istockphoto.com/pixalot
4 motivated by stress ©istockphoto.com/Amanda Rohde
4 defeated by stress ©istockphoto.com/Suprijono Suharjoto
5 box of tissues and medicine ©istockphoto.com/david franklin
7 high stress situation, natural disaster ©istockphoto.com/vanbeets
8 pressure gauge ©istockphoto.com/Mark Evans
9 Table 11-1: College Life Stress Inventory Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 365
10 mosquitoes (hassles) ©istockphoto.com/Tomasz Zachariasz
11 stressed out office worker ©istockphoto.com/digital planet design
12 road rage ©istockphoto.com/323 Design
13 tug of war ©istockphoto.com/winterling
14 Table: Types of Conflict Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 366
15 man holding head in hands ©istockphoto.com/Dragana Djorovic
19 confrontation ©istockphoto.com/Marcus Clackson
20 compromise ©istockphoto.com/Diane Diederich
21 withdrawal ©istockphoto.com/Marcus Lindström
22 student minimizing stress ©istockphoto.com/ranplett
23 person refusing to face something ©istockphoto.com/bibikoff
24 man covering ears ©istockphoto.com/Yougen
25 hand pointing at you ©istockphoto.com/Guillermo Perales Gonzalez
26 sports fan ©istockphoto.com/Mikkel William Nielsen
27 paper airplane ©istockphoto.com/Ethan Myerson
28 garden labyrinth ©istockphoto.com/Gordon Dixon
29 jumping ©istockphoto.com/Rubén Hidalgo
30 busted computer ©istockphoto.com/gabyjalbert
31 boxer ©istockphoto.com/Pali Rao
34 box of tissues and medicine ©istockphoto.com/david franklin
35 Figure 11-1: Physiological Response to Stress Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 374
35 Figure 11.1: General Adaptation Syndrome From Ciccarelli, Psychology, 2/e p. 445
36 Figure 11-1: Physiological Response to Stress Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 374
37 Figure 11.1: General Adaptation Syndrome From Ciccarelli, Psychology, 2/e p. 445
38 EKG Heartbeat ©istockphoto.com/dan ionut popescu
39 college age person coughing ©istockphoto.com/Sharon Barnes Photography
41 blue sky & clouds ©istockphoto.com/kertlis
42 laughing ©istockphoto.com/Stratesigns, Inc.
46 soldier in combat ©istockphoto.com/Rockfinder Photography
48 well-adjusted ©istockphoto.com/zhang bo