Defining, Measuring, and
Managing Stress
The nervous system
Neurons
Neurotransmitters
Synaptic cleft (gap)
Two major divisions of
nervous system
• Central nervous system
• Peripheral nervous system
Central nervous system
• Brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system
• Somatic nervous system
– Skeletal muscles
• Autonomic nervous system
– Sympathetic
• “Fight or flight”
• Mobilizes resources
– Heart speeds up
– Blood vessels in skin contract
– Breathing increases
– Parasympathetic
• Relaxation and normal functioning
– Increasing one, decreases the other
Theories of stress
• General Adaptation Syndrome
• Lazarus’s view
General adaptation syndrome
(GAS)
• 1. Alarm
– Sympathetic nervous system starts
• Prepares for “Fight or flight”
• 2. Resistance
– Adapts to stressor
– Diseases of adaptation
•
•
•
•
Ulcers
Hypertension
Cardiovascular disease
Bronchial asthma
• 3. Exhaustion
Lazarus’s View
• Interpretation (cognitive mediation) of
event is more important than the event
itself
• Person’s perception of the situation is
critical
– Potential harm
– Threats
– Person’s ability to cope with them
Lazarus’s View
• Events do not produce stress - The
person’s view of the situation produces
the stress
• The “Definition of the situation”
Measurement of stress
• Physiological
– Blood pressure
– Heart rate
– Galvanic skin response
– Respiration rate
• Self-report
– Used by most health psychologists
Sources of stress
• Cataclysmic events
– PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder
• In 1/4 to 1/3 of individuals experiencing
cataclysmic events
• Irrational events create more stress
than natural disasters
Daily hassles
• High demands & low control = stress
• Executive rat
Coping with stress
• Social support
– Durkheim’s suicide study
• Personal control
– Internal locus of control
• Adopt best to stress
– External locus of control
– More personal control = better health
Personal coping strategies
• Problem-focused coping
– Reduce stressor (change the situation)
– Best for good health
• Emotion-focused coping
– Manage emotions
Personal coping strategies
• Social coping
– Support from others
• Meaning-focused coping
– Create personal and spiritual meaning
• Proactive coping
– Anticipating a problem and taking steps to
avoid it
Managing stress
• Relaxation training
– Progressive muscle relaxation
• Explanation = tense muscles
• Breathe deeply & exhale slowly
• Deep muscle relaxation exercises
– E.g. Tense and relax
– Can be used with biofeedback and
hypnotic therapies
Managing stress
• Cognitive behavior therapy
– Changing attitudes and behavior
• Beliefs
• Attitudes
• Thoughts
– Skills to change behavior
Cognitive behavior therapy
• 1. Conceptualization stage
– Identify problems
• Educational
• 2. Skills acquisition and rehearsal stage
• Educational and behavior
• Increase coping skills
– E.g. assertiveness
• Practice
• Monitor “self-talk”
• 3.Application and follow-through
– Put skills into practice
Emotional Disclosure
• James Pennebaker
• Writing or talking about traumatic events
helps
• Emotional self-disclosure improves
psychological and physical health
– E.g. writing letter
• Emotional disclosure vs. emotional
expression
– Emotional disclosure
• Self- reflection
– Emotional expression
• Crying