| A | B |
|---|
| stress | a process whereby an individual perceives and responds to events that he appraises as overwhelming or threatening to his well-being |
| stressors | demanding or threatening events |
| primary appraisal | involves judgment about the degree of potential harm or threat to well-being that a stressor might entail |
| secondary appraisal | judgment of the options available to cope with a stressor, as well as perceptions of how effective such options will be |
| eustress | good kind of stress associated with positive feelings, optimal health, and performance |
| distress | when stress passes the optimal level and becomes becomes excessive and debilitating |
| optimal level | fully energized, focused, and can work with minimal effort and maximum efficiency |
| Physiological responses to stress | accelerated heart rate - headaches - gastrointestinal problems |
| Cognitive responses to stress | difficulty concentrating |
| Behavioral responses to stress | taking actions directed at eliminating stress (e.g.; drinking, smoking) |
| health psychology | a subfield of psychology devoted to understanding the importance of psychological influences on health, illness, and how people respond when they become ill |
| Hans Seyle | the general adaption syndrome and his research on stress |
| fight or flight response | set of physiological reactions that occur when an individual encounters a perceived threat |
| Walter Cannon | Cannon-Bard Theory & Proposed the idea of a Flight or Fight Response |
| homeostasis | physiological variables such as blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and temperature are stabilized at levels optimal for survival |
| general adaptation syndrome | Hans Selye's three-stage model of the body's physiological reactions to stress and the process of stress adaptation |
| the three stages of the general adaptation syndrome | Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion |
| sympathetic nervous system | triggers arousal via the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands and fight or flight response |
| cortisol | commonly known as a stress hormone and helps provide that boost of energy when we first encounter a stressor, preparing us to run away or fight |
| chronic stressors | events that persist over an extended period of time |
| traumatic events | situations in which a person is exposed to actual or threatened death or serious injury |
| PTSD | a chronic stress reaction characterized by experiences and behaviors that may include intrusive and painful memories of the stressor event, jumpiness, persistent negative emotional states, detachment from others, angry outbursts, and avoidance of reminders of the event |
| exhaustion | a sense that one's emotional resources are drained or that one is at the end of her rope and has nothing more to give at a psychological level |
| psychophysiological disorders | physical disorders or diseases whose symptoms are brought about or worsened by stress and emotional factors |
| immune system | consists of a variety of structures, cells, and mechanisms that serve to protect the body from invading toxins and microorganisms |
| lymphocytes | white blood cells that circulate in the body's fluids that are important in the immune response |
| heart disease | several types of adverse heart conditions, including those that involve the heart's arteries or valves or those involving the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs |
| hypertension | high blood pressure - forces a person's heart to pump harder - no symptoms (silent killer) |
| type A behavior | excessive competitive drive, chronic sense of time urgency, impatience, hostility toward others |
| type B behavior | those who are more relaxed and laid-back |
