Psychology

Fifth Edition
Saundra K. Ciccarelli
J. Noland White
Saundra K. Ciccarelli
J. Noland White

Copyright © 2017, 2015, 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 Psychology, 5th Edition
Saundra K Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Stress and Health

Chapter 11
Links to Learning Objectives
11.1 Distinguish between distress and 11.9 Identify social and cultural factors that
eustress. influence stress reactions.
11.2 Identify three types of external events that 11.10 Distinguish between problem-focused
can cause stress. and emotion-coping strategies to stress.
11.3 Identify psychological factors in stress. 11.11 Explain how a social-support system
influences a person’s ability to cope with
11.4 Describe the stages of the general
stress.
adaptation syndrome.
11.12 Describe cultural differences in coping
11.5 Explain how the immune system is
with stress.
impacted by stress.
11.13 Explain how religious beliefs can affect
11.6 Describe the branch of psychology known
the ability to cope with stress.
as health psychology.
11.14 Define mindfulness meditation and
11.7 Summarize Lazarus’s cognitive appraisal
describe its use in coping with the effects
approach to stress.
of stress.
11.8 Explain how personality types and
attitudes can influence people’s reaction
to stress.
Stress and Stressors
The Relationship Between Stresses and Stressors
11.1 Distinguish between distress and eustress.

• Stress: Physical, emotional,

cognitive, and behavioral
responses to threatening or
challenging events
• Stressor: Cause of stress
reaction
• Distress: Effect of
undesirable stressors
• Eustress: Effect of positive
events
Environmental Stressors: Life’s Ups and Downs
11.2 Identify three types of external events that can cause stress.

Catastrophes

• Unpredictable, large-scale
events
• Create a tremendous need
to adapt and adjust
• Create overwhelming
feelings of threat
Environmental Stressors

STRESS
Major Life Changes
Social Readjustment Rating
Scale (SRRS): Measures the
amount of stress in a person’s
life over a 1-year period resulting
from major life events
College Undergraduate Stress
Scale (CUSS): Measures the
amount of stress in a college
student’s life over a 1-year period
resulting from major life events
Sample Items from the Social Readjustment
Rating Scale (SRRS)

Major Life Event Life Change Units

Death of spouse 100
Divorce 75
Marital separation 65
Jail term 63
Death of a close family member 63
Personal injury or illness 53
Marriage 50
Dismissal from work 47
Marital reconciliation 45
Pregnancy 40
Death of a close friend 37
Change to a different line of work 36
Hassles

Lazarus and Folkman:

Hassles:
Frustrations, delays,
irritations, minor
disagreements, etc.
Psychological Stressors: What, Me Worry?
11.3 Identify psychological factors in stress.

Pressure:
The psychological
experience produced by
urgent demands or
expectations from
outside source
Uncontrollability:
Degree of control over
event or situation
Psychological Stressors

Frustration:
The psychological
experience produced when a
desired goal or fulfillment of
a perceived need is blocked
• Persistence
• Aggression
• Displaced aggression
• Escape or withdrawal
Psychological Stressors

CONFLICT:
Pulled toward two desires/goals, only one of which can be attained

Approach-Approach Avoidance-Avoidance Approach-Avoidance

Conflicts Conflicts Conflicts

GOAL #1 GOAL #1
GOAL

GOAL #2 GOAL #2
What is
your
conflict
style?
Physiological Factors:
Stress and Health
The General Adaptation Syndrome
11.4 Describe the stages of the general adaptation syndrome.
Illustration of General Adaptation Syndrome

Stage 1: Stage 2: Stage 3:

Alarm Resistance Exhaustion
The Immune System and Stress
11.5 Explain how the immune system is impacted by stress.

Immune System:
Cells, organs, and chemicals that respond to
disease, infection, and injury
• Negatively affected by stress
Immune System and Stress

Stress has been shown to put people at

a higher risk for heart attacks.
Immune System and Stress

• Weight problems and

stress
• Type 2 diabetes

• Cancer and stress

– Depresses release of
natural killer cells
• Other health issues
Health Psychology
11.6 Describe the branch of psychology known as health psychology.

How physical activities, psychological traits, and social

relationships affect overall health and rate of illness
– Health psychologists study behaviors and factors which
impact health

Poverty, wealth,
Drug use,
religion, social
optimism, Poverty, wealth,
support,
personality, religion, social
personality,
eating habits support, personality,
ethnicity
and ethnicity
Cognitive Factors in Stress
11.7 Summarize Lazarus’s cognitive appraisal approach to stress.

Lazarus’s cognitive
appraisal approach:
Appraisal of stressors is
major factor in level of
stress
• Primary appraisal
• Secondary appraisal
Personality Factors in Stress
11.8 Summarize Lazarus’s cognitive appraisal approach to stress.

TYPE A TYPE B TYPE C

Ambitious Relaxed Pleasant
Time conscious Less competitive Repressed
than Type A
Hardworking Internalizes
Slow to anger anger/anxiety
Often hostile
Personality and Coronary Heart Disease
Stress and Personality

Hardy personality:
Thrives on stress, but
lacks the anger/hostility
of Type A
Explanatory Style: Optimists and Pessimists

Optimists look for positive outcomes and

experience far less stress than pessimists,
who take a more negative view.
Social and Cultural Factors in Stress
11.9 Identify social and cultural factors that influence stress reactions.

Acculturative
Poverty stress

Lack of sufficient Job stress Methods of

money to provide acculturation:
basic necessities • Workload • Integration
of life can lead to • Lack of control • Assimilation
many stressors. • Separation
• Lack of job security
• Work schedule • Marginalization
• Low job satisfaction
• Burnout
Coping With Stress
Coping Strategies
11.10 Distinguish between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies to stress.

Coping strategies:
Actions that people can take
to master, tolerate, reduce,
or minimize stressor effects
Problem-focused coping:
Eliminate/reduce source of
stress via direct action
Emotion-focused coping:
Change stressor impact by
changing emotional reaction
Meditation and Coping

Meditation:
Mental exercises to refocus
attention; trancelike
consciousness
• Concentrative:
Focusing mind on repetitive
or unchanging stimulus to
clear mind/relax
Visualization:
Using your imagination to
“go” to a calm, peaceful
place or situation
How Social Support Affects Coping
11.11 Explain how a social-support system influences a person’s ability to cope with stress.

Social support systems

are important in helping
people cope with stress.
How Culture Affects Coping
11.12 Describe cultural differences in coping with stress.

• Different cultures perceive

stressors differently.
• Coping strategies vary from
culture to culture
How Religion Affects Coping
11.13 Explain how religious beliefs can affect the ability to cope with stress.

People with religious beliefs

also have been found to cope
better with stressful events
– Social support system
– Rituals and rites
– Healthy behaviors
Applying Psychology
to Everyday Life:
Coping with Stress
Through Mindfulness
Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation
11.14 Define mindfulness meditation and describe its use in coping with the effects of stress.

Mindfulness meditation:
A form of concentrative meditation in
which the person purposefully pays
attention to the present moment,
without judgment or evaluation