Deck 14: Living Well: Stress, coping, and Life Satisfaction in Adulthood

Question 1

Evan is 52 years old.Recently,he has been reflecting on the unfathomable complexity of ultimate truth and appreciating that even if we have faith in such a truth,it is unknowable.These reflections suggest that Evan has reached which of Fowler's stages of faith development?

A)Stage 3: Synthetic-conventional.
B)Stage 4: Individuative-reflective.
C)Stage 5: Conjunctive.
D)Stage 6: Universalizing.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Sylvia and Joanne are both members of a support group for new widows.Sylvia has been deeply religious for most of her adult life.She prays daily and attends weekly services.Joanne is not religious,but she has engaged in daily mindful meditation practice for many years.Both women seem equally devastated by the unexpected deaths of their husbands.What can you predict about how they will recover from their losses?

A)Sylvia will recover more happiness more quickly than Joanne will.
B)Joanne will recover more happiness more quickly than Sylvia will.
C)Sylvia and Joanne are both likely to benefit from their daily contemplative practices.
D)Religiosity has no bearing on recovery from loss.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following tends to assure that work experiences will be linked to positive well-being?

A)Feeling that one is making competent progress toward challenging goals.
B)Feeling less generative.
C)Workplace characteristics that remove personal control.
D)Having few workplace relationships.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Brenda and Louise are twin sisters who each married 20 years ago.Brenda and her husband run a small piano tuning business.They have had a small,loyal customer base,and their modest but adequate income has not changed over time.Louise and her husband each work for a corporation,and their incomes have steadily increased over the last 20 years allowing them to increase their standard of living.Assuming that Brenda and Louise began their married lives equally happy,and based on their income histories alone,what would you predict about the subjective well-being of Brenda and Louise today?

A)Louise is probably happier than Brenda.
B)Brenda is probably happier than Louise.
C)Louise and Brenda are probably still about equally happy.
D)There is no way to assess relative happiness.

Question 5

Kindling-behavioral sensitization describes

A)a process of shaping behavior to desired outcomes.
B)a process of increasing sensitivity to stressful triggers.
C)a process that explains how neurobiological factors interact with chemicals in the brain.
D)the measure of total life stresses.

Question 6

The happiest people have excellent social relationships.This is because

A)social relationships are an important source of life stress.
B)happy people are more likely to successfully make friends.
C)they delude themselves into believing they are happy and that others like them.
D)neurotic people are generally less happy.

Question 7

Marquita sees the universe as a product of intelligent planning.She believes that the creation of the universe,of life,and of human beings has a purpose even if that purpose is not accessible to her.Marquita's philosophy of the universe and its underlying plan is an example of

A)situational meaning.
B)global meaning.
C)eudaemonic well-being.
D)psychological well-being.

Question 8

Measures of subjective well-being typically assess degree of felt happiness or positive emotion.Other measures of well-being focus more on assessing feelings of fulfillment or self-realization.The latter are indicators of what is sometimes called

A)allostatic load.
B)spirituality.
C)eudaemonic well-being.
D)Hedonic well-being.

Question 9

At 50 years old,Andrew is an important source of support for his younger sister who has a serious disability.As a computer engineer,Andrew has made a practice of designing computer devices that help his sister and others in her situation interact with the wider world.Andrew sees his work as important in the lives of other people.Andrew's view of his life is an example of

A)materialism.
B)global meaning.
C)hedonic well-being.
D)situational meaning.

Question 10

One thing that both Eastern and Western religions share is that they promote

A)a belief in reincarnation.
B)the regulation of negative or destructive emotions.
C)the cultivation of strong positive emotions.
D)the practice of elaborate public rituals.

Question 11

"Spiritual transcendence" may be

A)characteristic only of women.
B)characteristic only of Eastern faith traditions.
C)the dark side of religion.
D)a sixth personality trait.

Question 12

The "American paradox" refers to

A)increases in wealth despite decreases in work time.
B)increases in rates of depression despite increases in wealth.
C)increases in religious practice despite increases in materialism.
D)decreases in rates of depression despite increases in work time

Question 13

Tyrone is a 35-year-old advertising executive.Lately,he has been experiencing some physical symptoms,like shortness of breath and difficulty sleeping.He explains to a counselor that he has been having more difficulty dealing with his work and family responsibilities.A comprehensive intake interview reveals that Tyrone's mother suffered from a diagnosed affective disorder.This piece of information might indicate the presence of

A)a diathesis.
B)a low allostatic load.
C)a protective factor.
D)a recessive allele.

Question 14

Which of the following has not been proposed as a reason why people seek meaning in their lives?

A)Establishing meaning helps people feel like they have control.
B)Establishing meaning helps people define their values,morals,and ethics.
C)Establishing meaning helps people feel self-worth.
D)Establishing meaning helps people feel like they are better than other people.

Question 15

Daniel is very extraverted.He admits that he is not comfortable unless surrounded by other people,and he energetically pursues activities that require the company of others.His cousin Bill,about the same age,is very introverted.Bill is self-reflective and prefers more solitary pursuits.Regardless of their personality characteristics,which of the following is likely to contribute most to their long-term happiness?

A)They are good friends who are willing to help each other in difficult times.
B)They bought a lottery ticket together and were lucky enough to win a huge jackpot.
C)They both have jobs that require very little effort.
D)They both have very few responsibilities and are careful to avoid committing themselves to any community service.

Question 16

Anna must care for children as well as a sick loved one on a day-to-day basis.She also needs to keep her job.This situation places her under considerable stress.Coping of this type is called coping with

A)daily hassles.
B)behavioral sensitization.
C)life events.
D)role changes.

Question 17

Spirituality and religiosity

A)are the same thing.
B)are concerned with the search for the sacred.
C)both involve an affiliation with a covenant faith community.
D)both create a social identity.

Question 18

Anna is a 44-year-old divorced mother of two teenagers.Anna's father,who lives alone in a nearby suburb,has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.Anna needs to take her father to and from medical appointments while she tries to manage the demands of her own full-time job.She goes to the employee assistance counselor at work for help in coping with the demands of her situation.The counselor understands that the demands on Anna are too great given her available resources,a phenomenon called

A)role buffering.
B)role confusion.
C)role strain.
D)role multiplicity.

Question 19

In Ryan and Deci's self-determination theory,the fundamental psychological needs they described include

A)autonomy.
B)adequate shelter.
C)freedom from fear.
D)generativity.

Question 20

Daniel is very extraverted.He admits that he is not comfortable unless surrounded by other people,and he energetically pursues activities that require the company of others.His cousin Bill,about the same age,is very introverted.Bill is self-reflective and prefers more solitary pursuits.Based on these personality characteristics alone,what can you predict about the subjective well-being of Daniel and Bill?

A)Daniel is probably happier than Bill.
B)Bill is probably happier than Daniel.
C)Daniel and Bill are probably equally happy.
D)Personality has no bearing on subjective well-being.

Question 21

Construct a short essay on the nature of stress and its effects on the body-mind.What constructive ways of handling these effects of stress have been found to be most effective? ,

Question 22

Ernest is 42 years old and has been out of work for two months.He lost his position as a program manager when his company merged with another larger company.He made a great deal of money during his time as manager and saved quite a bit,so finances are not an immediate concern.He has not been actively looking for work,and he feels sluggish,sleeps much more than he did in the past,and spends most of his time watching TV.Based on conservation of resources theory,how would you interpret his behavior?

A)Ernest is just waiting for the right opportunity to come along and there is nothing problematic about this strategy.
B)Ernest is experiencing the effects of loss of status following the termination.
C)The stressful event probably triggered some underlying vulnerability to depression.
D)Ernest will probably soon function at an even higher level following the traumatic incident.

Question 23

High concentrations of ______________ secreted by cells of the immune system are related to maladaptive inflammation.

A)diatheses.
B)cytokines
C)neurotransmitters.
D)endorphins.

Question 24

Intentionally paying attention to one's present experience without judgment is a definition for

A)stress management.
B)mindfulness.
C)relaxation.
D)coping.
Chapter 14 Essay Questions
See answer key or potential essay answers)

Question 25

The extent to which a person experiences nervousness,fear,anger,sadness,contempt,and guilt is called

A)kindling-sensitization.
B)behavioral inhibition.
C)negative affectivity.
D)negative heritability.

Question 26

The two types of stress management presented by Lazarus and Folkman are

A)problem-focused and emotion-focused.
B)one-dimensional and two-dimensional.
C)management and reduction.
D)sensitizing and blunting.

Question 27

A positive emotional style

A)is a trait inherited by only some individuals.
B)is a state of mind that depends upon environmental circumstances.
C)can be cultivated by everyone.
D)is a characteristic that is present in everyone in childhood but that people lose in adulthood because of various pressures.

Question 28

Laboratory studies have provided evidence for which of the following statements with regard to emotional reactivity?

A)Positive affectivity is related to higher levels of left prefrontal cortical activity.
B)Positive affectivity is related to higher levels of temporal lobe activity.
C)Positive affectivity is related to lower levels of prefrontal cortical activity.
D)Positive affectivity is related to reduction in psychoneuroimmune functions.

Question 29

Paula is a client who demonstrates highly anxious tendencies.She broods over perceived mistakes,worries about how others view her,and feels that she never meets her own high expectations in ways that satisfy her.Her counselor can conclude that Paula probably also has which of these other characteristics?

A)Low levels of sensitivity to interpersonal conflict.
B)Tolerance for stressful events but not chronic stress.
C)High levels of sensitivity to stress.
D)Poor attachment quality.

Question 30

Jason experienced the death of a close relative due to an act of violence.He comes to counseling to get help dealing with the grief and pain of this experience.After some time,Jason adjusts,and he demonstrates improvements in psychological functioning that exceed his level of adjustment prior to this traumatic event.This is an example of

A)posttraumatic stress disorder .
B)recovered wellness.
C)posttraumatic growth.
D)posttraumatic reversal of function.

Question 31

Psychological stressors operate on the immune system in much the same way as

A)cytokines.
B)sleep.
C)endorphins.
D)infectious agents.

Question 32

Discuss the role that religiosity plays in well-being based on research findings.Consider the following issues: What kind of well-being is affected by religiosity and why? What aspects of religiosity seem most helpful to well-being,and what aspects seem least helpful? ,

Question 33

Beverly is a slim,beautiful woman of 60.She has two grown children,and one grandchild who is cared for by a full-time nanny.Beverly lives in a spacious suburban home on a large,multi-acre lot,and she employs a housekeeper and groundskeeper part-time to take care of the house and yard.She believes that she is fortunate to live such an affluent lifestyle,but more and more lately she has been overcome by feelings of sadness.She has thought about seeking counseling but feels foolish and guilty,as though she has no right to her feelings.Beverly's distress seems to illustrate "the American paradox." Explain what that is and what some of the sources of that paradox might be in her life.Page 529)

Question 34

Researchers believe that the key characteristic that explains the therapeutic benefits of cognitive therapy is

A)mentally disputing irrational thinking.
B)replacing dysfunctional thinking with more functional thoughts.
C)keeping a record of negative automatic thoughts.
D)decentering oneself from one's negative thoughts.

Question 35

Lynn is a 36-year-old woman who feels mildly to moderately depressed and anxious much of the time,despite the fact that circumstances in her life are going smoothly.She comes to a counselor because she feels she is heading for a depressive episode.Using the kindling-sensitization model,what explanation can you give for her experience? ,