AP Psychology
Chapter 3:
Stress and
Health Psychology
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Understanding Stress
What is Stress?
– A nonspecific response of
the body to any demand
made on it;
– The arousal, both physical
and mental, to situations or
events that we perceive as
threatening or challenging.
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
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Does This Cause Stress?
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Sources of Stress
 Cataclysmic
Events: stressors
that occur suddenly
and generally affect
many people
simultaneously
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Significant Life Changes
 Happy life events such as getting engaged or
married.
 Moving, leaving home, losing a job, getting
divorced, having a loved one die.
 Young adults typically report higher stress
levels than much older adults.
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
Chronic
Stressors:
ongoing, long
lasting, unpleasant
events
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
 Life Changes:
life events that
require some
adjustment in
behavior or lifestyle
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
 Hassles::
small, everyday
problems that
accumulate to
become source of
stress
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Hassles
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Fight or Flight!!!!
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Fight or Flight Response
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Heart rate increases
Blood pressure increases
Respiration becomes rapid and shallow
Live releases stores of glycogen, thus raising the
blood sugar level.
Digestive system shuts down and blood reroutes
to muscles & pupils dilate.
Hair stands up on end.
Excitatory hormones secreted
Muscles tense
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Fight-Or-Flight!!
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Is This Guy Coping Well With Stress?
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Is This You?
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
 Occupation Burnout:
state of psychological and
physical exhaustion
resulting from chronic
exposure to high levels of
stress and little personal
control
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
Frustration
unpleasant tension
resulting from a
blocked goal
Conflict
forced choice between two or more
incompatible goals or impulses
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
 Three Types of Conflict
• Approach-Approach: forced choice
between two or more desirable alternatives
•
Avoidance-Avoidance: forced choice
between two or more undesirable alternatives
•
Approach-Avoidance: forced choice
between two or more alternatives both having
desirable and undesirable results
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sources of Stress
 If this man is
interested in one of
the three women on
the couch, is he
experiencing an
approach-approach,
approach-avoidance,
or avoidanceavoidance conflict?
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Irrational Assumptions:
These Can Cause Stress!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Unhappiness is inevitable.
I must do everything to perfection.
Everyone must approve of what I do.
The world should b fair and just.
I should not question authorities of social
beliefs.
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Ever Felt This Way?
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Agree or Disagree?
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Effects of Stress
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Effects of Stress
Stress and the HPA Axis:
Prolonged elevation of cortisol is related to:
 increased depression, memory problems,
etc.
 impaired immune system, which leaves the
body vulnerable to disease.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
This Wouldn’t Cause You Any Harm
At All, Would it?
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Effects of Stress
Stress and the
Immune System
Psychoneuroimmunology:
interdisciplinary field that
studies the effect of
psychological factors on the
immune system
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Effects of Stress
 Selye’s
General
Adaptation
Syndrome
1. Alarm
2. Resistance
3. Exhaustion
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Would This Help?
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Stress In Your Life—RIGHT NOW
 Attending college (or getting ready to)
 Job satisfaction—do I like my work now or
the work I will do in the future.
 Women & men= does an income gap exists
between the two?
 Career changes—impacts those a bit older
than you, but you are now competing with
older adults for work due to the economy.
Also many of you will change careers several
times.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Optimism vs. Pessimism
 Optimists—anticipation of positive
outcomes, they are people who expect the
best and believe their efforts will lead to good
things.
 Pessimists—anticipate negative outcomes.
They are people who expect the worst and
doubt their goals will ever be achieved.
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Realism
 Being realistically anxious over possible
failures can actually motivate people.
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Which Are You?
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Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Stress and Illness
Cancer:
related to hereditary
disposition and
environmental factors
Cardiovascular
Disorders:
contributing factors
include stress
hormones, certain
personality types,
and certain behaviors
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD):
anxiety disorder
following exposure to
extraordinary stress
Gastric Ulcers:
caused by bacteria or
stress?
Stress and Illness
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Mental Tension Situation #1
 Brian, an ambitious high school senior,
fails his final exam in American
Government. He is terrified that his
chances of not only graduating, but
getting into college have been ruined, and
a day or two later he develops a severe
skin rash.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Mental Tension Situation #2
 Jenny, Brian’s friend from class, learns
that her parents cannot afford to pay her
tuition for her first year of college; her
friends wonder why she has suddenly
become so bad tempered.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Mental Tension Situation #3
 Annie gets her first leading role in a high
school play; while running outside to call her
boyfriend, she realizes that she cannot
remember the phone number.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Discussion Questions
1. What causes stress?
2. In your experience, are people who dislike
change better equipped to cope with stress
than people who claim to welcome change
in their lives?
3. Why are life changes sources of stress?
4. How is stress necessary for survival?
5. What happens during the resistance stage
of stress?
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Discussion Questions
6. What is post-traumatic stress disorder and
whom does it effect?
7. What effect does the fight-or flight response
have on your immune system?
8. Have you ever witnessed “road rage”?
Describe the incident.
9. Would you feel more stressed about a
scheduled exam or a pop quiz? Why?
10. How does social support reduce stress?
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Road Rage
1. Involves a desire to retaliate and punish
another driver.
2. It can result in criminal behavior, such as
violence or threatened violence.
3. Psychologists believe road rage reflects a
driver’s anger and lack of self-control.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Tips to Avoid “Road Rage”
1. Do not retaliate against another driver
2. Before you react to another driver, consider if this
is incident really worth risking your life.
3. Be polite and courteous, even when others are
not.
4. If you are harassed by another driver and are
being followed, proceed to the nearest police
station.
5. Slow down and relax!!
6. Allow enough travel time to your destination.
7. Although you can’t control the behavior of other
drivers, you can control your own behavior.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Gender Differences & Stress
1. Who has the higher stress levels—men or
women?
2. Women more likely than men in the USA to live in
poverty, experience discrimination and to be
abused.
3. Psychologists argue the traditional roles of women
as primary caretakers and wives place them in
positions in which anxiety and depression are
more likely.
4. Example—mothers are often made to feel
responsible for events that they have little control
over, such as the illness of a child or accidents in
the home.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Stress at Work
1.
2.
Jobs requiring employees to hide their true feelings
and emotions are considered to be the most stressful.
Would include: medicine, teaching, social services,
customer service, fire/rescue, law enforcement.
Occupations that typically deal with customer
complaints on a daily basis are also very high in
stress. These include occupations in: information
technology, engineering, sales, finance,
operations, production & clerical work.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Most Stressful Jobs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Inner city high school teacher
Police officer
Miner
Air traffic controller
ER Doctor
Stockbroker
Journalist
Customer service worker
Secretary
Waiter/waitress
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Least Stressful Jobs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Forester
Bookbinder
Telephone line worker
Toolmaker
Mill worker
Repairperson
Civil engineer
Therapist
Natural scientist
Sale representative
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Most Stressful Cities/Metro Areas
1. Seattle/Tacoma, WA
2. Miami, FL
3. New Orleans, LA
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. New York, NY
6. Portland,OR/Vancouver, WA
7. Mobile, AL
8. Stockton-Lodi, CA
9. Detroit, MI
10. Dallas, TX
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Least Stressful Cities/Metro Areas
1. Albany-Schenectady, NY
2. Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA
3. Orange County, CA
4. Nassau-Suffolk Counties, NY
5. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
6. Ann Arbor, MI
7. Omaha, NE
8. Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA9. Honolulu, HI
10. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Life Changing “Most” Stressful Events
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Death of spouse of child
Death of a parent
Getting fired
Death of a brother/sister
Getting a divorce
Pregnancy
Decreased income
Loan or mortgage foreclosure
Job demotion
Marital separation
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Life Changing “Least” Stressful Events
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Child leaving for college
Major change in eating habits
Going on Vacation
Job promotion
Major change in sleeping habits
New romantic relationship
Breaking up
Troubles with co-workers
Changing jobs
Major change in living conditions
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Health Psychology in Action
 Health Psychology: studies how biological,
psychological, and social factors affect
health and illness
 Major Health Risks:
1.
Tobacco
2.
Alcohol and Binge Drinking
3.
Chronic Pain (lasting over 6 months)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Health Psychology in Action
Does this graph surprise
you? Smokers often
overestimate their risk of
dying from homicide and
traffic accidents, and
greatly underestimate the
risk from smoking.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Health and Stress Management
 Two major approaches to coping
with stress:
1.
2.
Emotion-focused (changing one's
perception of stressful situations)
Problem-focused (using problemsolving strategies to decrease or
eliminate the source of stress)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Health and Stress Management
Our emotional
reaction to stress
largely depends
on how we
interpret it.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Health and Stress Management
 Resources for Healthy Living
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Health and Exercise
Positive Beliefs
Social Skills
Social Support
Material Resources
Control (Internal locus of
control)
7. Relaxation
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Factors Influencing Reactions to Stress
 An individual’s personality may make him or
her more vulnerable to stress.
 Emotional expressiveness can also affect the
strength of a stress reaction.
 People who deny their emotions tend to
express feelings less frequently.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Finals Week or SAT Perhaps?
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Concluding Questions
1. How can stress effect us physically,
mentally and emotionally?
2. What (in your view) causes stress?
3. Is there such a thing as “positive stress”?
4. Why are life changes sources of stress?
5. How is stress necessary for survival?
6. What causes you “anxiety?
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)