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Ch4HealthStressCoping.pptxChapter 4 Health, Stress, & Coping
Quick note
Just letting you know that I titled this lecture chapter 4, but it’s not the same chapter 4 as in your recommended textbook
These materials are taken from a different text that had a chapter on health and stress
I’m not sure why the Baumeister & Bushman text doesn’t have a chapter on this; many social texts do
Today’s Outline
Define Stress
Discuss some common Causes of stress
Discuss Effects of Stress
Discuss Reducing/Preventing/Coping with stress
Stress
We talk a lot about it...
But what is it?
And is it necessarily a bad thing?
Stress
Stress: mental and physical condition that occurs when a person must adjust or adapt to the environment
Both unpleasant events (work pressures, relationship troubles) and pleasant events (a new job, travel)
&
Eustress: good stress
getting married, playing sports, going on a date, vacations, etc.
Stress Reaction
The Stress reaction is the same whether it's good stress or bad stress
The Autonomic Nervous System reacts the same to good stress or bad stress
The sympathetic nervous system kicks in to ramp us up
Thus, in some ways, its our PERCEPTION of stress that matters
Is what we're doing a fun challenge, e.g. an intense game of basketball or an unpleasant, intimidating task, e.g. taking a test.
As far as the body goes, pleasant thrills and stressful tasks are the same
Explains how some people hate and some people love roller coasters
Stress
However, one note to make here:
Short-term stress, whether good stress or bad stress, doesn't result in any damage
But long-term stress is another matter
What causes Stress?
Behavioral causes
Innate causes
Situational causes
Behaviors that can lead to stress
Any behaviors that cause people to be unhealthy can result in stress
Alcohol abuse
Could result in failing grades, being stressed about school, or strained relationships if you're a 'mad drunk'
Other risk factors:
Inactive life style, unhealthy diet, smoking, drugs, risky/unprotected sex
The actual issue and the stress from the issue
Cyclical: obesity --> difficulty exercising --> health problems --> stress --> eating more --> discouraged --> more stress, etc.
'Innate' levels of stress
Personality Types (validated)
Type A personality
key features: anger, hostility, & mistrust
ambitious, competitive, achievement oriented
believe enough effort can overcome any obstacle
push themselves accordingly
time urgency (think Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland)
at twice the risk for heart attack :(
aka cardiac personality
Situational Causes
Unpredictability
Whether it's at work, home, etc.
We're all kind of control freaks
We don't like curve balls
E.g. boss asks you to work late and help on an important project that's due the next day
E.g. if I gave you a pop quiz right now, that counted for 5% of your grade, wouldn't you be stressed/pissed?
Work, workload, & deadlines
any position of leadership comes with more stress
Situational Causes
Life Events
Let's see how you're doing!
Read through the list on the next two slides. Check any that apply.
Add up your Life Change Units score
Then we'll see how stressed we all are
Life Events and Life Change units
| Life Event | Life Change Units |
| Death of parent | 100 |
| Unplanned pregnancy/abortion | 100 |
| Getting married | 95 |
| Divorce of parents | 90 |
| Acquiring a visible deformity | 80 |
| Fathering a child | 70 |
| Jail sentence of parent for over one year | 70 |
| Marital separation of parents | 69 |
| Death of a brother or sister | 68 |
| Change in acceptance by peers | 67 |
| Unplanned pregnancy of sister | 64 |
| Discovery of being an adopted child | 63 |
| Marriage of parent to stepparent | 63 |
| Death of a close friend | 63 |
| Having a visible congenital deformity | 62 |
| Serious illness requiring hospitalization | 58 |
| Failure of a grade in school | 56 |
| Not making an extracurricular activity | 55 |
| Hospitalization of a parent | 55 |
| Jail sentence of parent for over 30 days | 53 |
Life Events and Life Change units
| Breaking up with boyfriend or girlfriend | 53 |
| Beginning to date | 51 |
| Suspension from school | 50 |
| Becoming involved with drugs or alcohol | 50 |
| Birth of a brother or sister | 50 |
| Increase in arguments between parents | 47 |
| Loss of job by parent | 46 |
| Outstanding personal achievement | 46 |
| Change in parent's financial status | 45 |
| Accepted at college of choice | 43 |
| Being a senior in high school | 42 |
| Hospitalization of a sibling | 41 |
| Increased absence of parent from home | 38 |
| Brother or sister leaving home | 37 |
| Addition of third adult to family | 34 |
| Becoming a full fledged member of a church | 31 |
| Decrease in arguments between parents | 27 |
| Decrease in arguments with parents | 26 |
| Mother or father beginning work | 26 |
Life change scale results
Above 300 = very stressed, 80% chance of getting sick in the near future
150-299 = moderately stressed, 50% more likely to get sick in the near future
Less than 150 = low stress, 30% more likely to get sick
I scored here
0 stress, very little stress! Hurray!
Thinking about the Life Change Scale
The Life Change Units we just discussed invoke a definition of stress that is really just based on CHANGE
This make sense given the definition of stress: 'adaptation to the environment.’
To adapt we must change
It's interesting because most people probably wouldn't think that: for example outstanding personal achievement, less arguing from parents, and marriage were all on that list
Deaths and divorce were at the top
Situational Causes
Frustration
Blockage of a goal: worst when the goal is important or there's time urgency
Often based on social situations
frustrated with spouse, coworkers, kids, etc.
The reaction to the frustration can worsen the stress: aggression (or displaced aggression), inflexible persistence, giving up on a goal, etc.
Aka the frustration-aggression hypothesis
Situational Causes
Acculturative Stress, aka culture shock
E.g. me moving to Miami 9 years ago
"Why are people I don't know greeting me with a kiss on the cheek, my Grandma and my Mom don't even do that!“
I’m kidding though, that obviously wasn’t stressful
High-stress reactions:
1. Marginalization (rejecting old culture, but also being rejected by new culture)
2. Separation: avoiding contact with new culture even though you're in a new place
Low-stress reactions
3. Integration: maintaining old cultural identify & new one
4. Assimilation: totally meshing into new culture
Effects of stress
General Adaptation Syndrome
Occurs from long-term stress (Work, a serious illness, etc.)
3 Stages
1. Alarm Reaction
Sympathetic nervous system at work. More adrenaline, high heart rate, less digestion, etc.
Some results of that: headache, sore muscles, stomach aches
General Adaptation Syndrome Cont'd
2. Resistance
Body comes into balance, those symptoms disappear. Superficial symptoms gone
Outwards body seems ok, but psychosomatic effects begin
Psychosomatic Effects are real
Skin rashes, hives, migraines, blood pressure, asthma, indigestion, sexual problems, ulcers, etc.
Not to be confused with a hypochondriac
General Adaptation Syndrome Cont'd
Some physical examples from my colleagues and me during Qualifying Exams:
hives
insomnia
me: really tense muscles
3. Exhaustion, usually not collapsing, instead:
1. Emotional (anxiety, apathy, irritability, mental fatigue)
2. Behavioral Signs (avoidance of social, work, or health- related behaviors)
3. Physical Signs: tiredness, illness, excessive worry about health
More Effects of Stress
Continuing off the idea of vulnerability to illness during periods of exhaustion...
Psychoneuroimmunology:
Times of stress = weakened immune system
E.g. many more colds during and after Final Exam times
Stress & Depression
Depression:
Students:
Depressed students score half a grade lower, on average
Occurs due to:
Work issues, trying to get high grades and struggling to meet idealized expectations of themselves, isolation, loneliness, breakups of romantic relationships, etc.
Results in:
Sad, empty, or some anxious feelings. Also feeling guilty, worthless, helpless, & pessimistic
Difficulty concentrating, lack of interest in usual fun activities
Effects of Stress Cont'd
Learned Helplessness
Any time an animal or person initially learns that to escape something harmful or stressful is very difficult. But later, even if they can easily escape, they don't.
E.g. someone who grew up with an abusive parent (hard to escape)
May not engage in behaviors to reduce or remove stress later in life, e.g. studying hard for exams
Responses and reduction of Stress
3 main concepts:
1. Preventative Behaviors
2. Problem-focused Coping
3. Emotion-focused Coping
Preventative behaviors against stress
Wellness
BE SOCIAL!!!! friends, family, etc.
Have fun for at least some time every day (balance)
Staying clean & organized
Promoting general physical health
avoiding hypertension with a good diet
lower in: salt, red meat, and dairy
higher in veggies, fruits, & fish
30 minutes of cardio 5x a week
positive outlook: hope, optimism
Comedy - humor relieves stress:
May I suggest...Arrested Development
Reducing Stress via Problem-focused Coping
My opinion:
Problem focused-coping works better for me than emotion-focused coping
The theory: instead of coping with the problem, just remove the problem in the first place
Problem focused-coping works best when you have control of the stressor
E.g. finishing a project/paper/studying
Reducing Stress via Problem-focused Coping
Appraising the Stressors
1. Primary Appraisal
Is the situation positive or threatening, relevant or irrelevant?
Passively processing the situation/stressor, initial opinion
2. Secondary Appraisal
This is where people who don't feel much stress react differently than those who get really stressed
Perceive the stressor as a challenge/opportunity rather than a threat. A plan is developed for how to overcome
What are you telling yourself about it? can you beat this problem?
Control!!! Focusing on the control you have over it
Problem-Focused Prevention of Stress
Working ahead of time
It prevents the aspect of stress we call 'pressure'
I can vouch for this being effective
Reactive vs. proactive work
Reactive:
Project is becoming due, better work on it
E.g. me in college! But not during grad school
Proactive:
Doing a certain/set amount of work during allotted time
You'll find you get ahead pretty fast
Avoid distractors!! No Facebook! No Youtube! No other forms of “multi-tasking” or listening to music. Just focus!
Reducing Stress via Emotion-focused Coping
Works best when you don't have control or only have moderate control over the stressor
E.g. coping with a death
First we'll cover defense mechanisms, then other emotion-focused coping techniques
Defensive Mechanisms
Defense mechanisms are adaptive: maintain self-esteem
If we took full blame for every time we messed up,
we would not be happy
Happy people actually have more positive illusions and beliefs, as we’ve learned
Depressed people gauge their abilities more accurately/realistically...but...that's not as adaptive as being a little naively optimistic
But too much use of Defense Mechanisms can be maladaptive
Defense Mechanisms: Examples
Denial: protecting oneself from an unpleasant reality by refusing to perceive it
E.g. maybe the test will be canceled
Repression: unconsciously preventing painful or dangerous thoughts from entering awareness
Reaction formation: preventing dangerous impulses from being expressed in behavior by exaggerating opposite behavior
‘Pretending' to love working out even if you hate it
Defense Mechanisms: Examples (cont’d)
Regression: retreating to an earlier level of development or to earlier, less demanding habits or situations
Projection: attributing one’s own feelings, shortcomings, or unacceptable impulses to others
E.g. you feel guilty about being selfish, "I don't want to go out tonight", project that on to friend who wants to go out, "Don't be selfish, I want to stay in"
Defense Mechanisms: Examples (cont’d)
Rationalization: justifying one’s behavior by giving reasonable and “rational,” but false, reasons for it
E.g. I can't turn in the paper because my printer broke
May be true. But the paper shouldn't have been done last minute.
Isolation: separating contradictory thoughts or feelings into mental compartments so that they do not come into conflict
Stats are a part of Psych. I love Psych but I hate stats!
Defense Mechanisms: Examples (cont’d)
Compensation: counteracting a real or imagined weakness by emphasizing desirable traits or seeking to excel in the area of weakness or in other areas
E.g. If I failed something, think of something you usually succeed at
Defense Mechanisms: Examples (cont’d)
Identification: taking on some of the characteristics of an admired person, usually as a way of compensating for perceived personal weaknesses or faults
E.g. I've seen it in grad students, if put on defensive, they may name-drop more. "Well, when I work with so and so, we..."
Intellectualization: separating emotion from a threatening or anxiety-provoking situation by talking or thinking about it in impersonal “intellectual” terms
E.g. GRE is just a measure of ability to do high school math
Emotion-Focused Strategies to reduce stress
Meditation
Any calming activity that interrupts upsetting thoughts
Reading, watching a comedy, chatting with a friend
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Tensing and releasing each muscle in the body
Makes a nice-feeling contrast
Guided Imagery
Going on a mental vacation. Getting in that mindset
Can add to traditional meditation
Emotion-Focused Strategies to reduce stress
Slowing down
Our behaviors, thoughts, etc.
“Goal is distance not speed"
Replacing negative statements with positive ones
"I'm gonna bomb this test"
Replaced: "I've passed 100 tests before this"
Again, being Social. Interacting with our support networks of family and friends
Isolating is the wrong choice
