Name: _______________________________
Activity # 5 Stress
1. Print out this form, staple the sheets together, and bring it to class both days we are discussing
stress.
You do not need to complete it before class.
2. Read “Personal Coping Strategies” in the text on page 2121 – 122.
Video – “Coping With Stress – Staying Sane Through Difficult Times”
Susan Folkman, Ph.D. – Professor of Medicine – Center for Integrative Medicine,
University of California, San Francisco
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joWu9CH9NmY&feature=relmfu
How do we define stress?
1. As a physiological response – Fight or flight
2. Something that happens to you – Life Events Scale
3. An imbalance when demands exceed resources
What makes the difference in how stressful a situation may be?
Characteristics of the person that make a difference in how stressful a situation may be
Priorities
Goals
Values
Beliefs
Developmental history
Psychological, physical and social resources for coping
Cognitive theory of stress
Stress is contextual (it depends of the situation)
Stress is dynamic and influenced by cognitive appraisal
Relational definition of stress
A situation is stressful when:
You appraise it as harm, threat or challenge
Harm – Something bad has happened, producing anger, sadness or guilt
Threat – Something bad might happen, producing worry, fear, and anxiety
Challenge – There is an opportunity for mastery = Excitement, eagerness, gain,
but risk is involved = anxiety
It is personally meaningful – it matters to you
It taxes or exceeds your resources – it is not easy to deal with
If something doesn’t matter, it will not be stressful.
What are the two major categories of coping?
1. Emotion focused coping (Regulates and decreases emotion)
Distancing (Distracting yourself)
Humor
Seeking emotional support
Looking on the bright side
Maladaptive emotional coping
Escape – avoidance
Daydreaming
Eating
Drugs and alcohol
2. Problem focused coping ( Manages the problem causing the distress)
Problem solving
Information gathering
What are the four general principles of coping in dealing with chronic and complex stressful
problems?
1. Focus on the specific situation rather than total stressful control
2. Ask what made it stressful
3. Distinguish changeable and unchangeable aspects of the situation
The serenity prayer
4. Fit the coping to the situation
If the source of the stress can be controlled, what coping method works best?
Controllable = Problem focused coping
Gather information & select a strategy
If the source of the stress cannot be controlled, what coping method works best?
Uncontrollable = Emotion focused coping
Accept what cannot be controlled
Relaxation exercises
Seek emotional support
Part II – Positive emotion and the stress process
What did the AIDS caregiver study tell us about:
Positive mood and life span?
Positive mood increases life span.
Negative mood and life span?
Did not effect life span
What was the conclusion from the Nun’s study about the effect of positive affect?
Positive emotions did predict survival
Negative emotions did not predict survival
Absence of emotions did not predict survival
Conclusion:
Positive affect or emotional well-being is different from the absence of depression or
negative affect.
Positive affect seems to protect individuals against physical declines in old age.
What was the conclusion from the common cold study?
Higher positive emotions (affect) = fewer colds
Lower positive emotions (affect) = more colds
What is the third method of coping discussed?
First method (mentioned previously) is: Emotional
Second method (mentioned previously) is: Problem focused
Third method is: Meaning Focused Coping
What are the four coping strategies that create positive emotions and moods when dealing with
stress?
1. Goal revision
Relinquish untenable goals
Substitute new goals that are both realistic and meaningful
Helps sustain a sense of control
Creates renewed sense of purpose
Allows hope and optimism with respect to new goals
2. Create positive moments
Infuse ordinary events with positive meaning
Provides a breather from distress
Helps restore resources
3. Benefit finding
Reflect of growth in personal strengths and resources
Reinforces positive beliefs about self and the orld
4. Focus on what matters
Motivates coping
Helps sustain commitment
Reflect on:
Some positive emotion you have had on the last two days
Sharing positive events amplifies the event.
Application: Stress of divorce (Not in video)
To be discussed in class if time permits.
How could these concepts be applied to the stress of divorce?