Matakuliah : L0014/Psikologi Umum
Tahun
: 2007
STRESS AND HEALTH
Pertemuan 21
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
• The field of psychology that uses psychological principles to
encourage healthy life styles and to minimize the impact of stress
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STRESS
Any event or circumstances than strains or exceeds an
individual’s ability to cope
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Source of Stress (1)
1. Life Events
Psychology significant events that occur in a person life, such
divorce, childbirth, or change in employment
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Crime, sexual assault and violence
Loss of a family member
Natural disasters
Terrorism
Daily hassles
2. Frustration
The result of being unable to satisfy a motive
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Source of Stress (2)
3.
Conflict
The state in which two or more motives can not be satisfied because they
interfere with one another
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Approach – Approach conflict
Conflict in which the individual must choose between two positive goals of
approximately equal value
Avoidance – Avoidance conflict
Conflict in which the individual must choose between two negative outcomes of
approximately equal value
Approach – Avoidance conflict
conflict in which achieving a positive goal will produce a negative outcome as well
Multiple Approach – Avoidance conflict
Conflict that requires the individual to chose between two alternatives, each of
which contains both positive and negative consequences
Source of Stress (3)
4. Pressure
stress that arises from the threat of negative events
5. Environmental condition
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temperature, air pollution, noise, humidity, etc.
These environmental sources of stress do not appear to be as potent as
other stressor but apparently contribute to our overall stress level
General Aspect of Stress Reaction
1. We react to stress as a whole – physical & psychological reaction
2. Psychological and bodily reactions to stress are highly similar,
whether the stress is physical or psychological
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Psychological reaction to stress
changes in emotions, motivations and cognition
Physical Reaction to stress and health
• Biopsychosocial model of health : the theory that physical health is influenced not
only by biological factors, but also by psychological and social factors
• General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Hans Selye : the mobilization of the body to ward off threats, characterized by a
three-stage pattern of the alarm reaction, the resistance stage and the
exhaustion stage
– The alarm reaction : the body initial response to any threat
– The resistance stage : the body’s resources have been fully mobilized and resistance
to the stress is high
– The exhaustion stage : if the stress continues, the individual’s resources may become
exhausted and resistance to the stress and infection is lowered
• Depression and Health
Depression is a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of
interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite,
low energy, and poor concentration
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Factors that Influence Reaction to stress (1)
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Prior experience with the stress
Developmental factors
Predictability and control
Social Support
The role played by friends and relatives in providing advice, assistance, and
someone in whom to confide private feelings
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Factors that Influence Reaction to stress (1)
Person variables in reaction to stress
all characteristics of an individual that are relatively enduring, such as ways of
thinking, beliefs, or psychological reactivity to stress
• Cognitive and Personality
– Cognitive factors
– Personality Characteristic : Type A ?
Type A : the pattern of behavior characterized most by intense competitiveness,
hostility, overwork and a sense of time urgency
• Gender & Ethnicity
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Women are more likely that men to experience lasting reaction to traumatic events
Married people are healthier that people who are not in committed relationship
Fight-or-fight and Tend-and-befriend
Ethnic differences
Coping with stress
• Coping : attempts by individuals to deal with the source of stress and/or control
their reactions to it
• Effective Coping
– Removing stress
– Cognitive coping
• Reappraisal : changing how a person thinks about or interprets a potentially stressful event
to reduce its stressfulness
– Managing stress reactions
• Ineffective Coping
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Withdrawal
Aggression
Self medication
Defense mechanism
Changing Health – Related Behavior Patterns
• Learning to relax
– Progressive relaxation training : a method of learning to deeply relax the
muscles of the body
• Improve eating habits
• Exercise regularly
• Medical Complience
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