Question | Answer |
Strain | Occurs when resources are not adequate for a person to achieve positive events or to avoid or escape negative events. |
Coping | Behavior that is motivated to meet life's demands and their consequences. |
Stress | Results when life demands exceed available coping resources either because the demand is too great or the resources are inadequate. |
Self-Medication Hypothesis | Using alcohol, nicotine, or illicit drugs in order to alleviate symptoms of stress. |
Comfort Food | Food that relieves our physiological and psychological distress. |
Stressors | Demands that produce stress. |
Eustress | Physiological arousal that resulted from positive events. |
Distress | The opposite of eustress and occurs when arousal is too low or too high. |
Same Domain Effect | Negative events produce distress and reduce the quality of life. Positive events increase positive feelings and increase the quality of life. |
Preparatory Response Hypothesis | A signal preceding a biologically relevant event allows the organism to prepare for that event. |
Safety Hypothesis | Maintains that it is crucial to distinguish safe intervals when shock is not being delivered from unsafe intervals when it is. |
Life Changing Unit | Each unit equals a degree of adjustment considered necessary to cope with a life change event. |
Acute Stress Disorder Posttraumtic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | A cataclysmic stressor or traumatic event that threatens a person or others with death or serious injury. |
General Adaptation Syndrome | The observation that stress involved the whole body as it went through three stages: alarm reaction, stage or resistance, and stage of exhaustion. |
Psychophysiological or Psychosomatic Disorders | Another name for medical conditions such as, asthma, headaches, heart disease, hypertension, an ulcers. |
Psychoneuroimmunology | The relationship between psychological stressors, the immune system, and disease. |
Immune System | The line of defense against invading microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, that are responsible for various diseases. |
Open Window Hypothesis | States that a few hours after strenuous exercise the immune system is suppressed and allows an "open window" when natural killer cell activity is low and when there is greater opportunity for a virus or bacteria invade and infect the body. |
Moderator Variables | Characteristics of the environment or of the person that alter the relationship between stressors and stress. |
Primary Appraisal | A potential event is evaluated as to whether or not it is relevant, benign, positive, or stressful. |
Secondary Appraisal | Assesses what strategies can meet the demands of life events. |
Problem-focused Coping | Involves trying to identify the problem more clearly and to consider potential solutions. |
Emotion-focused Coping | Involves managing the negative reactions of the accompanying stress. |
Buffering Hypothesis | Various forms of social support buffer or protect an individual from the harm of potential stressors. |
Sense of Humor | Has no clearly agreed-on definition but does involve the propensity to habitually smile, laugh, and be amused in a variety of situations. |
Hardiness | A personality trait composed of three characteristics: control, commitment, and challenge. |
Want to create your own Flashcards for free with GoConqr? Learn more.