Chapter 16: Health, Stress, & Coping
Stress
•Everyone experiences stress, but what is it?
•Psychological and physiological reaction to noxious stimuli outside the person
General Adaptation Syndrome
•ALARM PHASEBiological responseFight or flight
•RESISTANCE PHASEUnavoidable threat continuesResist or cope with the threat
•EXHAUSTION PHASEStress persists over substantial period of timeLimited resources
–Fatigue, physical problems, illness
Stress and Modern Society
•Stress = curse
•physiological alarm mechanism “chimes” too often
•mammoth traffic jam = mammoth
Major Types of Stress
•FRUSTRATION
•Goal seeking behavior blocked
•Two most common:FailuresLosses
Major Types of Stress (cont)
•CONFLICT
•Incompatible motivations or behaviors compete for expression
•Three types
•APPROACH – APPROACH
•Choice between two attractive goalsTennis - or -RacquetballPizza - or -SpaghettiBlue Sweater - or -Gray Jacket
•AVOIDANCE – AVOIDANCE
•Choice between two unattractive goalsNo Job- or -Bad JobToothache- or -DentistIn-Laws- or -Super Bowl
•APPROACH – AVOIDANCE
•Pursue a single goal with attractive and unattractive aspectsWhether to ask someone outWhether to invest
•LIFE CHANGES
•Any noticeable alteration in one’s living circumstances that require readjustment
Sources of Stress
•Holmes and Rahe (1967)100 - Death of a spouse 73 - Divorce 63 - Imprisonment 63 - Death of family member 50 – Marriage
•Holmes and Rahe (1967) 40 - Pregnancy 37 - Death of a close friend 31 - High mortgage 28 - Outstanding personal achievement 26 - Begin or end school
•Holmes and Rahe (1967) 20 - Change in hours at work 20 - Change in schools 13 - Vacation 12 – Christmas
•> 300 Life-Change Units = illness
•Flaws in rational
•All life events illness
•Psychological problems
•Events more stressful when sick
•Expected changes are not stressful
•INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES!!
Bereavement and Tragedy
•Some events are a shock to our system
•Widowed people more susceptible to illness
•Mortality rate is higher
•Divorced adults have higher rates of:Heart diseasePneumoniaAlcoholism
•WHY?
•Unhappy
•Not sleeping well
•Eating habits
•Consume more drugs & smoke more
•WHAT CAN YOU DO?
•Reveal your private feelings
–diary, tape recorder, or a nonjudgmental friend
–Speeds up the healing process
Long Term Stress
•The real threat to health
•For example:Dangerous environmentViolent parentDiscriminationFeeling trapped
•Female clerical workers with financial problems have a higher risk of heart disease
•Employees with no “say-so” in job related decisions (e.g., postal workers)
Daily Hassles
•1988 Study of Married Couples
•Frequent hassles related to:FluSore throatsHeadaches & backaches
•Major events CAN increase daily hassles
•Typically independent
Stress and Personality
•Heart disease and personality type
•Type A individuals:ImpatientAmbitiousCompetitiveHostile
Stress and Personality
•Type A individuals:1. Try to accomplish too much in too little time2. Free-floating hostility
•Type B individuals:RelaxedEasy-goingLess easily angered
Coping with Stress
•DIRECT COPING
•Any action directed toward changing an uncomfortable situation
•Three Choices:
•CONFRONTATION
•Facing a stressful situation directly
•Attack the problem head-on
•May include expressions of anger
•COMPROMISE
•Settle on a realistic solution
•Most common and effective
•Settle for less than we wanted
•WITHDRAWAL
•Remove yourself from the situation
•Withdrawal Running Away
•Positive and realistic