1

CHAPTER

11 Stress and Health Psychology

Links to Learning Objectives

ENDURING ISSUES IN STRESS AND

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY

SOURCES OF STRESS

Major sources of stress; three types of conflict;

self-imposed stress

Individual differences

COPING WITH STRESS

Direct & defensive coping

Socioeconomic status, culture, & gender

HOW STRESS AFFECTS HEALTH

How the body responds to stress

Heart disease

Immune system

STAYING HEALTHY

Four proven ways to reduce stress

Coping effectively

Four elements of a healthy lifestyle

EXTREME STRESS

Five major sources of extreme stress

THE WELL-ADJUSTED PERSON

Standards for judging who is well-adjusted

Diversity-Universality

Stability-Change

Mind-Body

Nature-Nurture

Person-Situation To what extent do the

methods that people use in

coping with stress depend

on the environment in which

they find themselves?

Enduring Issues

Diversity-Universality

Stability-Change

Mind-Body

Nature-Nurture

Person-Situation To what extent do

people respond differently

to severe stress?

Enduring Issues

Diversity-Universality

Stability-Change

Mind-Body

Nature-Nurture

Person-Situation Can

psychological

stress cause

physical illness?

Enduring Issues

Sources of Stress

2

Sources of Stress

Stressor: Any environmental

demand that • Creates a state of tension or threat

(stress)

• Requires change or adaptation (adjustment)

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Distinguish

between stressors and stress. Identify the

major sources of stress. Describe the three

types of conflict. Explain what is meant by

“self-imposed stress.”

Change

• All stressful events

involve change.

• Most people prefer order,

continuity, and predictability in

their lives, so anything requiring

change (good or bad) can be

experienced as stressful.

• The more change required, the

more stressful the situation.

CHANGE STRESS

College Life Stress Inventory

Hassles can be as stressful as major life

events, since they lead to feelings of:

Pressure

Frustration

Conflict

Everyday Hassles

Pressure

A feeling that one must

speed up, intensify, or

change the direction of

one’s behavior or live

up to a higher standard

of performance

Pressure

Frustration

The feeling that occurs when a person is prevented from reaching a goal

Causes include:

– Delays

– Lack of resources

– Losses

– Failure

– Discrimination

Frustration

3

Conflict

The simultaneous existence of incompatible demands, opportunities, needs, or goals

Types of conflict:

• Approach/approach

• Avoidance/avoidance

• Approach/avoidance

Conflict

Types of Conflict

Self-Imposed Stress

When individuals carry

around a set of irrational,

self-defeating beliefs that

add unnecessarily to the

normal stress of living

• Pessimists

• People with an external locus of control

• Optimists

• People with an internal locus of control

• People with the hardiness trait

• People who are resilient

LESS LIKELY TO COPE

WELL WITH STRESS

MORE LIKELY TO COPE

WELL WITH STRESS:

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the role of optimism and pessimism, locus of

control, hardiness, and resilience in affecting people’s response to stress.

Stress and Individual Differences

Coping with Stress

Defensive coping:

Various ways people

convince themselves

– through a form of

self-deception – that

they are not really

threatened or do not

really want something

they cannot get

Ways of Coping with Stress

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Compare and contrast direct coping and defensive coping. Describe and

give an example of the three strategies for coping directly with stress. Describe and give an example of the major ways of coping defensively.

Direct coping:

intentional efforts

to change an

uncomfortable

situation

4

Acknowledging a stressful

situation directly and

attempting to find a

solution to the problem

or to attain

the difficult

goal

Direct Coping

Withdrawal

Compromise

Confrontation Deciding on a more realistic

solution or goal when an ideal

solution or goal is not practical

Direct Coping

Withdrawal

Compromise

Confrontation

Avoiding a situation

when other forms

of coping are

not practical

Direct Coping

Withdrawal

Compromise

Confrontation

Applying Psychology

Plan ahead.

Exercise.

Take a study break.

Talk to other people.

Meditate or use other relaxation techniques.

Take a stress-reduction workshop.

Denial

Repression

Projection

Refusal to

acknowledge

a painful or

threatening

reality Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Excluding uncomfortable

thoughts, feelings,

and desires from

consciousness

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

5

Attributing one’s repressed

motives, feelings,

or wishes to

others

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

Taking on the characteristics

of someone else to avoid

feeling incompetent

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

Reverting to

childlike

behavior and

defenses

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

Thinking abstractly about

stressful problems as

a way of detaching

oneself

from them

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

Expression of exaggerated

ideas and emotions that are

the opposite of

one’s repressed

beliefs

or feelings

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

Shifting repressed motives

and emotions from an

original object to

a substitute

object

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

6

Redirecting repressed

motives and feelings

into more socially

acceptable

channels

Defensive Coping

TYPES OF DEFENSE

MECHANISMS:

Denial

Repression

Projection

Identification

Regression

Intellectualization

Reaction Formation

Displacement

Sublimation

Socioeconomic

Status Culture

Gender

Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Gender Differences in Coping with Stress

People in lower socioeconomic classes have to deal with more stress than people who are financially secure.

• Less effective coping

• Fewer resources

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain how socioeconomic status, culture, and gender affect levels of

stress and ways of coping with stress.

Cultural background influences the way that individuals cope with stress.

• Most European Americans: Explicit social support

• Most Asian Americans: Implicit social support

Men and women may cope differently with stress.

• Men: Alcohol, aggression

• Women: Rumination, tending-and-befriending; also report experiencing more stress

How Stress Affects Health

• Health psychology: A subfield

of psychology concerned with

the relationship between

psychological factors and

physical health and illness

• Acute or chronic stress is linked

to lowered immunity, and poor

health makes people more

vulnerable to everything from

the common cold to an

increased risk for heart disease.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain why “experiencing too much stress over too

long a period can contribute to physical problems.” In your explanation, include Cannon’s theory of the fight-or-flight response and the several stages of Selye’s

general adaptation syndrome.

How Stress Affects Health

Cannon’s Theory of

Fight-or-Flight

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain why “experiencing too much stress over too long a

period can contribute to physical problems.” In your explanation, include Cannon’s

theory of the fight-or-flight response and the several stages of Selye’s general

adaptation syndrome.

The Body’s Response to Stress

• The hypothalamus

stimulates the sympathetic

branch of the autonomic

nervous system and the

adrenal glands to release

stress hormones such as

adrenaline and

norepinephrine into

the blood.

• The physiological response

mobilizes the body to

respond to external threats

by attacking or fleeing.

Fight-or-Flight Response

Source: Figure from p. 54 by Laurie Gracie in “Invisible Wounds” by R.F. Mollica, Scientific American, June 2000. Copyright © 2000. Reprinted by permission.

7

General Adaptation Syndrome

Stage 1:

Alarm reaction

Stage 2:

Resistance

Stage 3:

Exhaustion

Stress and Heart Disease

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Summarize the evidence that shows chronic stress can

contribute to heart disease. Include Type A and Type D personalities in your summary.

Stress is a major

contributing factor

in the development

of coronary heart

disease (CHD), the

leading cause of

death and disability

in the U.S. Certain

behavior patterns

are linked to CHD:

Type D Personality

Characteristics:

• Depression

• Negative emotions

• Social inhibition

Link to CHD:

• Cortisol

Type A Personality

Characteristics:

• Hostility

• Competiveness

• Urgency

• Constant striving

Link to CHD:

• High heart rate

• High blood pressure

• Chronic anger

• Hostility

• Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI):

Studies the interaction between

stress and immune, endocrine,

and nervous system activity

• Chronic stress has been linked

to suppressed functioning of the

immune system, especially with

respiratory illness.

• The research on a possible link

between stress and cancer is

mixed.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Summarize the research evidence that “stress

also affects the functioning of the immune system.”

Stress and the Immune System

Staying Healthy

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the four proven ways to reduce stress.

Ways

to reduce

stress:

Reduce Stress

Religion/

Altruism

Effective coping skills Exercise/

Relaxation/

Training

Social support

Coping Effectively

Proactive coping: Anticipating stressful events

and taking steps to avoid

them or minimize their

impact

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain the role of proactive coping, positive reappraisal,

and humor in reducing stress.

Positive reappraisal: Finding a new meaning

in a situation, or finding a

perspective or insight

that you had overlooked

to view events as being

more positive

– Humor: One of

the most effective,

stress-relieving forms

of reappraisal

8

Avoid

High-Risk

Behaviors

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the four elements of a healthy lifestyle.

Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle

Extreme Stress

1

2

3

4

5

Catastrophes

Combat and other threatening personal attacks

Unemployment

Divorce and separation

Bereavement

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the five major sources of extreme stress and

describe their impact.

Sources of Extreme Stress Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

(PTSD): Psychological disorder

characterized by episodes of

anxiety, sleeplessness, and

nightmares resulting from some

disturbing past event; also

daytime flashbacks

• Posttraumatic Growth (PTG):

Positive growth that may follow

an extremely stressful event

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain the role of proactive coping, positive reappraisal,

and humor in reducing stress.

The Well-Adjusted Person

The Well-Adjusted Person

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Describe the several standards for

judging whether an individual is well adjusted.

Psychologists disagree about what constitutes good adjustment. • Some think it is the ability to live

according to social norms.

• Others argue that well-adjusted people enjoy the difficulties and ambiguities of life, treating them as challenges to be overcome.

• According to Abraham Maslow, well-adjusted people attempt to “actualize” themselves; they live in a way that enhances their own growth and fulfillment.

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Acknowledgments

Slide # Image Description Image Source

text template upside down blue sky & grass ©iStockphoto.com/Konrad Lew

chapter template frustrated tennis player ©istockphoto.com/Özgür Donmaz

3 stock exchange chaos ©istockphoto.com/pixalot

4 motivated by stress ©istockphoto.com/Amanda Rohde

4 defeated by stress ©istockphoto.com/Suprijono Suharjoto

5 box of tissues and medicine ©istockphoto.com/david franklin

7 high stress situation, natural disaster ©istockphoto.com/vanbeets

8 pressure gauge ©istockphoto.com/Mark Evans

9 Table 11-1: College Life Stress Inventory Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 365

10 mosquitoes (hassles) ©istockphoto.com/Tomasz Zachariasz

11 stressed out office worker ©istockphoto.com/digital planet design

12 road rage ©istockphoto.com/323 Design

13 tug of war ©istockphoto.com/winterling

14 Table: Types of Conflict Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 366

15 man holding head in hands ©istockphoto.com/Dragana Djorovic

19 confrontation ©istockphoto.com/Marcus Clackson

20 compromise ©istockphoto.com/Diane Diederich

21 withdrawal ©istockphoto.com/Marcus Lindström

22 student minimizing stress ©istockphoto.com/ranplett

23 person refusing to face something ©istockphoto.com/bibikoff

24 man covering ears ©istockphoto.com/Yougen

25 hand pointing at you ©istockphoto.com/Guillermo Perales Gonzalez

26 sports fan ©istockphoto.com/Mikkel William Nielsen

27 paper airplane ©istockphoto.com/Ethan Myerson

28 garden labyrinth ©istockphoto.com/Gordon Dixon

29 jumping ©istockphoto.com/Rubén Hidalgo

30 busted computer ©istockphoto.com/gabyjalbert

31 boxer ©istockphoto.com/Pali Rao

34 box of tissues and medicine ©istockphoto.com/david franklin

35 Figure 11-1: Physiological Response to Stress Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 374

35 Figure 11.1: General Adaptation Syndrome From Ciccarelli, Psychology, 2/e p. 445

36 Figure 11-1: Physiological Response to Stress Morris/Maisto, 9/e p. 374

37 Figure 11.1: General Adaptation Syndrome From Ciccarelli, Psychology, 2/e p. 445

38 EKG Heartbeat ©istockphoto.com/dan ionut popescu

39 college age person coughing ©istockphoto.com/Sharon Barnes Photography

41 blue sky & clouds ©istockphoto.com/kertlis

42 laughing ©istockphoto.com/Stratesigns, Inc.

46 soldier in combat ©istockphoto.com/Rockfinder Photography

48 well-adjusted ©istockphoto.com/zhang bo