Stress, Coping, and Health

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Stress, Coping, and Health

Chapter 12 TEACHING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:

1. Define stress and stressor, and distinguish between them.
2. List the conditions that contribute to stress.
3. List the three kinds of events that have been found to be especially stressful.
4. Explain why change is stressful.
5. List the findings concerning stress reactions for each of the three natural disasters listed in the text.
6. Define conflict, and list and define the four main types of conflicts.
7. Explain how uncertainty and doubt contribute to stress:
8. Explain the role of cognitive appraisal in the experience of stress, and define primary and secondary appraisal.
9. Explain the experiment done by Hans Selye.
10. List and explain the three stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome.
11. Define somatoform disorder and list symptoms that commonly occur in response to stress.
12. Explain the research into the effect of stress on survival.
13. Discuss the Life Stress scale and discuss its link to illness.
14. List the factors that determine whether or not an individual will experience symptoms as a result of life stressors.
15. Explain the physiological changes in the immune system that occur in response to stress, and list the factors that are likely to reduce the potential damage.
16. Define psychoneuroimmunology.
17. Discuss the findings on the relationship between stress, anger, and high blood pressure.
18. List and explain five types of stressful situations that are likely to lead to anxiety.
19. Discuss the effect of anxiety on cognitive performance.
20. Define test anxiety, and list ways to reduce it.
21. Define post traumatic stress disorder, and list its physical and psychological symptoms.
22. Explain the environmental and physical reasons why stress may lead to depression.
23. Define burnout, and list its causes, its symptoms, and the remedies to reduce it.
24. Define assertive coping, and list strategies that reflect it.
25. List and explain three varieties of coping.
26. Discuss the following factors with regard to coping ability:

control

hardiness

social support

optimism

exercise

1. Define biofeedback
2. Define defense mechanism, list its purpose, and specify advantages and disadvantages.
3. List, define, and give an example of nine defense mechanisms.
4. Explain the goal of positive psychology.
5. Explain the relationship between optimism and coping.
6. List six ways to increase well-being and optimism.

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