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Psychology and Health

• Stress is the physiological response of the body to physical and psychological demands. Such demands are known as stressors.

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– Life ChangesThroughout life each of us must adjust to life changes, both pleasant ones and unpleasant ones.

• Life EventsThe Social Readjustment Rating Scale was developed to assess the impact of life changes. (Table in book)

• Posttraumatic Stress DisorderThis syndrome of physical and psychological symptoms appears as a delayed response after exposure to an extremely emotionally distressing event.

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Daily Hassles

• The hassles of everyday life are important stress-inducing events.

• Life changes can promote illness indirectly by increasing daily hassles.

• One of the few prospective studies of the effects of daily hassles found that hassles do promote illness.

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Stress is marked by physiological arousal and, in some cases, diminished resistance to disease.

General Adaptation SyndromeFirst identified by Hans Selye, this is the body’s stress response that includes the stages of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

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Of all the diseases that might be affected by stress, coronary heart disease has received the most attention from health psychologists

• Stress can increase levels of cholesterol, elevate heart rate and blood pressure, and stimulate the release of stress hormones.

• Type A behavior is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, including strokes.

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• This syndrome is marked by impatience, hostility, and extreme competitiveness.

• Type A behavior may contribute to coronary heart disease through a chronic stress response, release of stress hormones, or by promoting the eating of fast foods.

• Child-rearing practices and social-cultural factors influence the development of Type A behavior

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• Type B is the opposite: relaxed, unhurried, satisfied, and serene

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Depression is associated with suppression of the immune system.

• PsychoneuroimmunologyThis interdisciplinary field studies the relationship between psychological factors and physical illness.

• Stress might indirectly promote cancer by affecting health behaviors or directly by interfering with the immune system’s ability to defend against cancer.

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• Our reactions to stress are moderated by a variety of individual factors.

• People differ in their pattern of physiological responses to stressors.

• People with a more optimistic outlook on life – even a somewhat unrealistically positive one—are less susceptible to illness.

• Perceived control over stressors is one of the most important factors moderating the relationship between stress and illness.

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• Psychological hardiness is a personality characteristic marked by feelings of commitment, challenge, and control that promotes resistance to stress.

• People who have social support are less likely to become ill.

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• Coping with stress is an important part of everyday life.

• Writing about our emotions is a stress-relieving practice with both physical and psychological benefits.

• People who exercise become less physiologically reactive to stressors and more confident in their ability to cope.

• Because stress is associated with physiological arousal, health psychologists emphasize the importance of relaxation training.

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• One of the most important factors influencing whether people are motivated to engage in health-promoting behavior is their feeling of self-efficacy.

• Many health psychologists have turned their attention to unsafe sexual practices.

• AIDS kills its victims by impairing their immune systems.

• One of the primary means of AIDS prevention is educating people to avoid risky behaviors.

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• People who exercise regularly are healthier and live longer than those who do not.

• There is especially strong evidence for the effectiveness of exercise in preventing obesity and cardiovascular disease.

• Though exercise programs are beneficial, many people find it difficult to adhere to them.

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Social scientific study of how we think about, influence,

and relate to one another

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Attribution Theory tendency to give a causal explanation for someone’s

behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

E.g.. Forgot one’s anniversary date because of other things going on at that time (situation).

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Biases in Causal AttributionBecause humans are somewhat irrational and subjective, we exhibit biases in the causal attributions we make.

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The Self-Serving Bias• Dispositional attributions for positive behaviors• Situational attributions for negative behaviors

– E.g. Did well on an exam, I studied.

– Or Did bad on a paper, blamed there weren’t enough information.

• Why we use Self-Serving Bias– To maintain our psychological well being

• Self Handicapping– Lowers one expectation to do well on exam

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Person Perception– Impression management

• Deliberate attempt to control impressions

– Stereotypes• Social schema applied to all members of a group

– First impressions• Functions as a social schema

– Self-fulfilling prophecy• Expectations influence others behavior

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Liking– Proximity

– Familiarity

– Physical attractiveness• Attractive people judged more positively• Cross-cultural consistency• Social sorting

– Similarity• Best done gradually

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Romantic Love– Theories of Love

• Passionate vs. companionate love• Two factor theory of love• Sternberg’s triangular theory of love (passion,

intimacy, and commitment)

– Promoting Romantic Love• Similarity• Humor• Equity

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AttitudesAn attitude is an evaluation, containing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components, of an idea, event, object, or person.

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Persuasion is the attempt to influence the attitudes of other people. – Persuasive messages can take a central route or a

peripheral route.– Central Route: Facts/statements presented– Peripheral Route: Visually appealing

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Persuasion is influenced by:

• The source of the message is more likely to be persuasive if it is credible, has expertise, is trustworthy, and is attractive.

• Simply acknowledging the other side of an issue, while strongly supporting your own, is at times more effective.

• Important audience factors are intelligence and personal importance of the message.

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Prejudice is a positive or negative attitude toward a person based on her or his membership in a particular group.

• People also exhibit favoritism to their own kind

• Prejudice may be reduced when there is equal status and social contact.

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Aggression is verbal or physical behavior aimed at harming another person.

• Group violence is promoted by deindividuation, the process by which group members become less aware of themselves as individuals and less concerned about being socially evaluated.

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Prosocial behavior refers to helping others in need. • Altruism is the helping of others without the

expectation of a reward.• Bystander intervention refers to the act of helping

someone who is in immediate need of aid. – Noticing the Victim

– Interpreting the Situation as an Emergency

– Taking Personal Responsibility

– Deciding on a Course of Action

– Taking Action