PSYCH 488 STUDY GUIDE EXAM 1

Models of stress What do they propose? How are they similar? Different?
Eustress vs. distress
Lazarus & Folkman Appraisals core relational meanings what are they?
Biomedical vs. Biopsychosocial models of health
Antonovskys Salutogenic Model Terms used & their meanings
What are your generalized resistance resources? (GRRs)
Sense of coherence & research on the significance of it

Erikkson and Lindstrom: stong SOC associated with resilience and positive physical/mental
health outcomes
Holocaust survivors less PTSD from stronger SOC
Stress & performance Yerkes-Dodson curve

Best performance at midlevel stress

How is stress related to longevity?

Stress makes us prone to health-averse behaviors like eating poorly and smoking, etc.
Diminishing health and well-being introduces new stressors
Hypertension increases blood pressure increases mortality rates
Regular exercise can reduce mortality rates
Physiology of stress Cannons fight/flight, Selyes general adaptation syndrome (and
associated terms)

Canon fight/flight:
SAMsympathetic adrenomedullary system
-release of CATACHOLAMINES (epinephrine and norepinephrine)
HPAhypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system
-activated during perceived stress
-converts food stores to glucose
-release of CORTICOSTEROIDS (cortisol)
-decreased immune function, increase centripetal fat, decrease hippocampal
volume (memory)
Selye GAS
Allostatic loadaccumulation of physical effects of stress

Importance of perceived (PTSDnot experiencing stressful event, but perceiving one via
flashbacks/ruminators/negative reappraisals)
Lazarus Appraisal & Coping Model the 3 processes & their significance to coping

1. primary :assess potential harm or loss (threat v challenge)

a. harm-loss = past/present
b. threat = future
2. secondary: assess resources to dealPERCEPTION OF CONTROL
a. self-efficacy (that your actions will bring about an outcome, and that you can
perform what is needed for that outcome)
3. reappraisal: assessment based on feedback from the situation
What has been the history of Positive Psychology?

A. Pathways to happiness and well-being

a. Eudaimonia
b. Virtue theory(Aristotle) by product of living a virtuous
B. Later versions: humanistic and existential theories
a. Reaction to freuds negative pathological focus
C. Recent
a. Is it a valid field of study?
b. :kool-aid psychologydata-light and anecdote heavyno substance
c. Seligman and Diener studying more empirically
Positive vs. negative emotions

Continuum?
Positive affect: approach-oriented
Negative affect: withdrawal-oriented
Behavioral Inhibition system (BIS)withdrawalnegative affect
Behavioral Approach system (BAS)approachpositive affect
Fredricksons Broaden and Build Model The respective roles of pos./neg. emotions

Positive emotions broaden our perspectivemore creative

Long term survival gains
Neg. emotionsnarrow
Short term survival gains
The undoing hypothesis

Positive emotions can undo the effects of neg emotions

laughter
Research supporting both the Broaden/Build Model & the Undoing hypothesis

Research asked people after neg and positive videos to list what to do afterpos listed
significantly more things
What are the 2 views of Well-being?

1. Subjectiveproduct of ones subjective evaluation of their well-being

a. Global life satisfaction
b. Satisfaction with important life domains
c. Prevalience of positive emotions
d. Lower levels of negative emotions
2. Prescriptivequalities needed toward ones well-being : Ryffs model-dimensions required
for well-being
a. Self-acceptance
b. Positive relationships with others
c. Autonomy
d. Environmental mastery
e. Purpose in life
f. Ongoing personal growth
The Happiness Set Point Theory what it proposes, and research about it.

Genetically inherited??
Irrespective of circumstances
Extraversion positive predictor
Neuroticism negative predictor of happiness
Resilience positive growth; hardiness

Ability to bounce back and GAIN

-reduced anxiety
-enhanced well-being
-increased life satisfaction
hardiness: 3 cs
-commitment to life activities
-control over predictable/unpredictable life events
-life events as challenges
Traits of happy people results of studies looking at this.

OCEAN: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

The role of life circumstances theories; significance of money; marriage

Bottom uplife circumstances affect our happiness

Tod-downsense of well-being and happiness determines how we view life circumstances

Money only increases happiness at poverty level

Marriage correlated with happiness
-unhappy people who marry not likely to stay married
Optimism vs. pessimism fundamental differences; Optimism outcome studies

-people who expect good things to happen

bad events temporary
specific to situations
arising from external sources
pessimists:
bad events enduring and long-lasting
ongoing things in their lives
arise from internal sources
Learned helplessness vs. learned optimism

a. LH: passive strategy of ceasing to try to change aversive circumstances

b. LO: active strategy where one sees their actions can affect pos. outcome
OPTIMISM IS AN ACTIVE COPING STRATEGY
Defensive pessimists what are they? Research studying them?

Project negative outcomes but cope actively working toward a positive outcome
-when distracted, dont perform as wellneed to engage in activity
-optimists perform better when distracted
What is meant by the term Flow? Mindfulness? Savoring? (Primarily text)

FLOW
Challenges that stretch but dont overmatch skills
Clear goals and feedback in progress
Intense/focused concentration
Merging of action and awareness
Loss of reflective self-conscious
Sense of control
Distortion of temporal experience
Activity is intrinsically rewarding (goal is just an excuse for the process)
MINDFULNESS/SAVORING
Mind more or less activated
Savoringmindful awareness to enjoyment experiences

What is the significance of love & relationships to stress/coping? (Primarily text)

2-factor theory
primary elements of romatic love are passionate love and companionate love, falling in love
vs. stable enduring friendship qualities
empathy-motivated altruism
forgiveness elevates well-being
The research approaches to studying relationships between stress & illness

Retrospective designs but personality and time related biases

Prospective designsbut subject attrition
Correlational designsbut does not equal causation
Experimental
Meta-analyses
Internal/External validity of the various approaches

Experimental higher internal validity controlled for extraneous variables, low external validity
Metathought to increase both validities, but hard to determine level of control
Life events vs. daily hassles in measuring stress
Social Readjustment
Innate vs. Adaptive immune systems
Importance of inflammatory responses & the NK cells
Stress & immunosuppression e.g., exam stress, disasters, caregiving, loss/bereavement, etc.
History of stress & the effects of acute stress what are the relationships? Significance?
The impact of stress on HIV infection
What is CHD? How does stress affect the onset or prognosis of CHD?
What is hypertension? The influence of stress on it? Acute vs. chronic stress?
What is the relationship between stress and sudden cardiac death?
Anger/hostility & CHD the relationship? Gender differences?
Depression & CHD
Skeletal muscle conditions & stress what are the relationships? (Text & Lecture)
Atopic disorders: What are they? How does stress & psychological factors affect them?
Cancer & stress what does the evidence show?
Cancer & depression & anxiety
Evidence on the effectiveness of psychological interventions for cancer patients

Diabetes & stress

POTENTIAL ESSAY QUESTIONS:

1. Some critics have referred to positive psychology as kool-aid psychology. What does
this term mean? And, based on what youve learned about this field, what is YOUR
honest personal opinion about the value of positive psychology in the clinical field of
stress and coping, and why do you feel this way about it?

Kool-aid: swallowing ideas from others without critical thought

Positive psychology makes sense because its good feedback
Good mentality and motivation are helpful but only for people who its helpful for
Broaden and build
2. Social isolation and loneliness have been found to be predictive of several serious
illnesses. Based on what you have been learning in this class, describe why YOU think
these factors are so strongly related to health outcomes (i.e., by what mechanisms do you
think they relate to these outcomes?).

-Social Isolation doesnt give you the chance to experience positive aspects of
relationships
gratitude, forgiveness, altruism
Optimism: social life provides opportunity for distractionfor someone who ruminates on
the negative in their life, this is key for optimism and positivity
3. Describe 5 different behaviors you can alter to strengthen your immune system as a
stressed student. THEN, for each behavior, describe how this behavior change will
specifically impact your immune system in a significant way.

Exercise
Helps anxiety, heart rate/blood pressure decrease
Drink less alcohol
Alcohol increases inflammatory responses
Get sufficient sleep
Reduced sleep reduces NK cell activity
Treat Depression
Acts as a chronic stressor, increasing inflammatory response
Avoid social isolation