STRESS AND HEALTH

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Shape of the Day Learning Intentions
- Notes - I will understand causes
- Video clip of stress
- Notes - I will be able to identify
- Video clip coping mechanisms for
- Notes stress
- Bonus Assignment
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!

KANGAROO SONG CAUSE OF STRESS?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xawixxFdaVE
THOMAS HOLMES AND
Holmes and Rahe 1967 investigated the
RICHARD
correlations RAHE
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
Vacations and holidays are themselves not inherently
stressful but trying to fulfill unrealistic expectations
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
TYPE A PERSONALITY OR TYPE B?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6eNPrqTGOE
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 stress
Psychological debriefing
brief, immediate strategy of crisis focusing on venting
emotions and discussing reactions to the trauma
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
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
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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
26
 TYPES OF CONFLICT
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. 27
 TYPES OF DIRECT COPING
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 28

are not practical

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
29

wishes to others
IS THIS REPRESSION, DENIAL, OR
PROJECTION?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYFevK2lDJI
 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.

31
 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 32
MANAGING YOUR STRESS
Learn and practice good time management skills
Homework first, then fun
Social support
Relaxation techniques
Meditation
Breathing exercises
Guided imagery

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 STRESS PAMPHLET OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT