STRESS AND ITS EFFECTS
Stress: any circumstance that threatens (or is
perceived as threatening) one’s well-being and
taxes one’s coping abilities.
Primary appraisal- evaluation of event as
relevant, irrelevant, or stressful.
Secondary appraisal- evaluation of your
coping resources and options to deal with the
problem.
Ambient stress- chronic environmental
conditions that place adaptive demands on
people, i.e. noise, heat, pollution, crowding.
Stress may be self-imposed.
Cultural change can be a source of stress.
Acute stressors- events with short duration and
clear endpoint.
Chronic stressors-events with long duration
and no apparent time limit.
Four types of stress:
1) frustration- when the pursuit of a goal
is thwarted.
2) Conflict- when you suffer 2 or more
incompatible desires or motivations.
a) approach-approach
b) approach-avoidance
c) approach-avoidance
3) Change- alterations in living
circumstances that require readjustment.
4) Pressure- expectations or demands that
one behave in a certain way.
Stress Responses:
1) Emotional effects- negative vs. positive
2) Physiological effects
a. Fight-or-flight response
b. General Adaptation Syndrome
(Selye) Alarm- ResistanceExhaustion
c.The endocrine system- glands that
secrete chemicals (hormones) into the
bloodstream to facilitate coping.
3) Behavioral responses- Coping refers to
efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the demands
created by stress. (healthy or unhealthy means)
Possible Effects of Stress
1) Impaired performance
2) Poor cognitive function
3) Burnout
4) Posttraumatic Stress Disorders
5) Psychological problems/ disorders
6) Physical illness
7) Positive effects- coping increases stress
tolerance
Factors that affect Stress Tolerance
1) Social support
2) Hardiness- composed of commitment,
challenge and control
3) Optimism- expectation of good
outcomes
4) Conscientiousness- tendency to
diligent, punctual, dependable.
COPING PROCESSES
Poor coping strategies:
1) giving up- produces learned
helplessness (Seligman) produced by
unavoidable aversive events.
2) Aggression- behavior intended to hurt
someone, physically or verbally.
3) Catharsis- release of emotional tension,
not necessarily directed at another
person.
4) Indulging oneself- developing
alternative rewards as a response to
stress. Can result in addictions.
5) Blaming oneself- (Ellis) negative selftalk/ catastrophic thinking/ unreasonable
expectations/ focus on the negative.
Almost always counterproductive.
6) Defensive coping- defense
mechanisms protect against emotional
discomfort/ protect the ego/ fantasy. Not
usually helpful in the long run because
they don’t force the person to deal with
the real problem. Often leads to illness.
7) Constructive coping- relatively healthy
means of coping with stress.
a. Confronting problems directly
b. Using realistic appraisals of the
stressor and your resources.
c. Managing disturbing emotional
responses.
d.Exerting control over harmful habitsself-discipline.
Appraisal-focused Constructive Coping
Ellis’s Rational-emotive therapy focuses
on altering clients’ patterns of irrational thinking
to reduce emotional discomfort and unhealthy
reactions. Catastrophic thinking- unrealistic
appraisals of stress that exaggerate the
magnitude of the problem. A-B-C
Common irrational assumptions:
1) I must have love and affection from
certain people.
2) I must perform well in all endeavors.
3) Other people should always behave
competently and be considerate of me.
4) Events should always go the way I like.
The secret to managing this thought process is
recognizing it and disputing it.
Humor moderates the effects of stress.
Positive reinterpretation- things could be
worse! Find the silver lining.
Problem-Focused Constructive Coping
1) Clarify the problem- distinguish the
practical from the emotional problem/
distinguish the cause from the effect.
2) Generate alternatives- brainstorming
possibilities without any criticism.
3) Evaluate alternatives.
4) Select a course of action. Is it realistic?
Are there risks/ costs to this solution?
5) Take action, knowing you can always
generate another choice if this one
doesn’t work out the way you hope.
Other alternatives:
1) Seek help
2) Use time more effectively- set goals &
priorities, say NO to others if it truly is
not your agenda, delegate, clear your
workspace, accept reasonable solutions
even if they aren’t perfect.
3) Procrastination- the tendency to delay
tasks until the last minute, generally out
of fear of failure/ frustration/
perfectionism/ need to create crisis to be
the center of attention and force others
to help.
4) Time-management increases
efficiency.
5) Self-discipline and self-control are the
keys to handling many of life’s
problems effectively. It may require
behavior modification.
Emotion-Focused Constructive Coping
1) Emotional intelligence consists of the
ability to monitor, access, express, and regulate
one’s own emotions, the ability to understand
others’ emotions, and the ability to use this
knowledge to guide action. This positively
relates to career success, marital satisfaction
and physical/ mental health.
2) Distraction means diverting attention
from the problem by thinking about other things,
doing other activities.
3) Managing hostility through forgiveness.
Resentment relates to cardiovascular disease.
4)Meditation- mental focus. TM, zen.
Creates a relaxed state in the body.
5) Other relaxation techniques- quiet
environment, a mental device to focus
attention, a passive attitude, a comfortable
position.Progressive relaxation (Benson)