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Define stress
Stress: a state of psychological and physiological tension produced by demands that exceed a person’s coping resources.
Four principal types of stress (Weiten & McCann, 2019)
1) Acute stressors 2) Chronic stressors 3) Traumatic stressors 4) Daily hassles
Three basic types of conflict (Fig. 14.1)
Approach–approach; Avoidance–avoidance; Approach–avoidance
Emotional arousal & task performance
Yerkes–Dodson law: performance increases with arousal up to an optimal point, then declines.
Three stages of General Adaptation Syndrome
Alarm → Resistance → Exhaustion
Two brain–endocrine stress pathways (Fig. 14.5)
SAM pathway (sympathetic → adrenal medulla); HPA axis (hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal cortex).
Aggression & self-indulgence as stress responses
Aggression: harming others; Self‑indulgence: overeating, substance use. Both reduce stress short‑term but are maladaptive long‑term.
Defensive vs constructive coping
Defensive: avoids threat (denial, repression). Constructive: problem‑focused or emotion‑focused coping.
PTSD definition, symptoms, causes
PTSD: lasting anxiety after trauma. Symptoms: re‑experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal. Caused by traumatic stressors.
Type A behavior pattern & CHD
Type A: competitiveness, urgency, hostility. Evidence links hostility (not all Type A traits) to CHD.
Emotions, depression & heart disease
Negative emotions and depression increase CHD risk via stress hormones and unhealthy behaviors.
Stress, immunosuppression & illness
Chronic stress suppresses immunity, increasing vulnerability to infections and some illnesses.
Social support, optimism, conscientiousness
They buffer stress by improving coping, health behaviors, and physiological regulation.
Health impact of smoking, diet, inactivity, substances
Increase risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic and liver disorders.
Behavior & AIDS risk reduction
Risk from unsafe sex and needle sharing. Reduce risk via condoms, monogamy, clean needles.
How health‑impairing lifestyles develop
Through learning, social modeling, stress coping habits, and delayed consequences.
Medical help‑seeking & compliance factors
Influenced by beliefs, anxiety, trust, communication clarity, and provider empathy.
Chapter 14 unifying themes
Multifactorial causation and subjectivity of experience in stress and health.
Albert Ellis & emotion control + coping strategies
Emotions shaped by beliefs. Coping: cognitive restructuring, relaxation, exercise, social support.
Evaluating health‑risk statistics & decisions
Consider sample size, correlation vs causation, absolute risk; weigh costs, benefits, probabilities.
