Deck 12: Section 1: Stress, Health, and Coping

Question 1

Describe research linking stress and susceptibility to the common cold. How does this happen, and does illness inevitably follow stress?

Answer 1

The answer should include the following information: Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues have demonstrated that people who are experiencing high levels of stress are more susceptible to infection by a cold virus than people who are not under stress. People who experienced chronic stressors that lasted a month or longer were most likely to develop colds after being exposed to a cold virus. Research suggests that this may occur because chronic stress triggers the secretion of corticosteroids, which affect immune system functioning. Other research has shown that stress interferes with the effectiveness of influenza vaccinations. Though stress-related decreases in immune system functioning may heighten our susceptibility to health problems, exposure to stressors does not automatically translate into poorer health. First, it is important to remember that short-term stressors actually enhance immune function; it is only chronic stress that leads to a decrease in immune function. Second, physical health is affected by the interaction of many factors, including genetics, nutrition, health habits, access to medical care, and even whether or not you come into contact with the harmful viruses or bacteria that are necessary for infection. Finally, some people are just more vulnerable to the negative effects of stress than others, perhaps due to psychological factors.

Question 2

Explain how feelings of control influence the experience of stress. Under what conditions does this phenomenon occur, and is this true for all cultures?

Answer 2

The answer should include the following information: Situations that you perceive as being beyond your control are highly stressful. In contrast, having a sense of control over a stressful situation reduces the impact of stressors and decreases feelings of anxiety and depression. People who can control a stress-producing event often show no more psychological distress or physical arousal than people who are not exposed to the stressor at all. If you feel that you can control a stressor by taking steps to minimize or avoid it, you will experience less stress, both subjectively and physiologically. Having a sense of control also enhances positive emotions, such as self-confidence and feelings of self-efficacy, autonomy, and self-reliance. Feeling a lack of control increases catecholamines and corticosteroids, and decreases the effectiveness of the immune system. In order to be adaptive, the perception of personal control in a stressful situation must be realistic. Unrealistic perceptions of personal control actually contribute to stress and poor adjustment. Further, cross-cultural studies have shown that a sense of control is more highly valued among individualistic, Western cultures than in collectivistic, Eastern cultures.

Question 3

Define psychoneuroimmunology, and explain how the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are linked and how they influence each other.

Answer 3

The answer should include the following information: Psychoneuroimmunology is an interdisciplinary field that studies the interconnections among psychological processes, nervous and endocrine system functions, and the immune system. The immune system is your body's surveillance system; it produces specialized white blood cells (lymphocytes) that protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and tumor cells. Historically, scientists thought that the immune system was completely independent of other body systems, including the nervous and endocrine systems. Scientists believed that psychological processes could not influence the immune system. However, research eventually demonstrated that all of these components are interconnected. First, the central nervous system and the immune system are directly linked through sympathetic nervous system fibers, which influence the production and functioning of lymphocytes. Second, the surfaces of lymphocytes contain receptor sites for neurotransmitters and hormones, including catecholamines and cortisol. Third, lymphocytes themselves produce neurotransmitters and hormones, and these substances, in turn, influence the nervous and endocrine systems. In other words, each system influences and is influenced by the other systems.

Question 4

Describe research on the contribution of daily hassles to stress for men and women. Are there gender differences in the experience of and response to daily hassles?

Question 5

How do social isolation and diverse social networks impact health?

Question 6

Identify and describe what is involved in the stress pathway identified by Hans Selye, and explain the conditions under which this response may be helpful or harmful to physical health.

Question 7

How can social support help buffer the effects of stress? Does social support have to come from human sources?

Question 8

Describe the role of major life events and change in producing stress. Next, list some of the limitations of the life events approach to measuring the impact of stress on health.

Question 9

Describe the experience of the fight-or-flight response, and explain the conditions under which fight-or-flight may be helpful or harmful to physical health.

Question 10

Health psychologists are guided by the biopsychosocial model. Explain the focus of this model.

Question 11

Describe the three stages of the general adaptation syndrome.

Question 12

Define burnout, explain the characteristics of burnout, and describe work situations that are likely to lead to burnout, as well as steps that can be taken to prevent burnout.

Question 13

What kinds of stressors have been found to influence the effectiveness of the immune system, and what are the practical implications of these findings?

Question 14

What is a placebo, and how are placebos used in biomedical research?

Question 15

Provide an original example of a stressful experience, and use it to illustrate the definition of stress, noting the role of cognitive appraisal in stress.

Question 16

Define the two types of explanatory style identified by Martin Seligman, and discuss the implications of each style for health and well-being.

Question 17

Explain the four different patterns of acculturation, and explain how each pattern does or does not contribute to acculturative stress.

Question 18

Describe the Type A and Type B behavior patterns, and identify the personality dimension or dimensions that seem to produce the highest health risks.

Question 19

Define telomeres, and describe how they are affected by stress.

Question 20

Do personality factors cause disease? Describe the research findings on this topic and explain why psychologists and other scientists are cautious in the statements they make about the connections between personality and health.

Question 21

Describe two forms of problem-focused coping, and provide an original example of each.

Question 22

What is emotion-focused coping? Describe the six forms of emotion-focused coping that are summarized in your textbook.

Question 23

Contrast the general patterns of coping in individualistic versus collectivistic cultures.

Question 24

What gender differences have been found in the effects of social support?

Question 25

According to the In Focus box: "Providing Effective Social Support," what are the three most commonly studied broad categories of social support? Give original examples of each.

Question 26

Identify and discuss the four strategies, described in the Psych for Your Life box, "Minimizing the Effects of Stress," that help minimize the negative effects of stress, and explain why they are helpful.

Question 27

Describe instances in which social support can have negative consequences.

Question 28

Describe the use of the positive reappraisal coping strategy, and provide either an original personal example or use the example of model Petra Nemcova to show how positive reappraisal can be a constructive response to tragedy.

Question 29

Health psychologist Shelley Taylor has proposed that women "tend-and-befriend" in response to stress. Define the "tend-and-befriend" response, and explain this phenomenon from an evolutionary perspective.

Question 30

What kinds of social support efforts are LEAST likely to be perceived as helpful? What is "invisible support"?

Question 31

Discuss gender differences in responding to stress, contrasting the tend-and-befriend response with the fight-or-flight response.

Question 32

What kinds of social support efforts are MOST likely to be perceived as helpful?