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Intro to Psychology
Table of Contents
Unit 14 Overview: Stress, Lifestyle, and Health
14.1 What Is Stress?
14.2 Stressors
14.3 Stress and Illness
14.4 Regulation of Stress
14.5 The Pursuit of Happiness

Stress can be overwhelming, but there are ways to tackle it. Problem-focused coping tackles issues head-on, while emotion-focused coping manages your feelings. Proactive coping helps you prepare for future stress, but watch out for unhealthy coping methods.

Your belief in your ability to control situations affects how you handle stress. High perceived control leads to better coping, while low control can result in helplessness. Social support from others is crucial, offering emotional comfort, advice, and practical help to boost your well-being.

Coping with Stress and the Role of Social Support

Coping Strategies

  • Problem-focused coping tackles stressors head-on by developing action plans, seeking advice, and using time management techniques (creating schedules, prioritizing tasks)
  • Emotion-focused coping manages emotional responses through relaxation (deep breathing, meditation), positive reappraisal, and seeking emotional support from loved ones
  • Proactive coping involves anticipating potential stressors, developing skills (communication, problem-solving), gathering resources, and creating backup plans to minimize impact
  • Maladaptive coping includes unhealthy or counterproductive methods such as substance abuse (alcohol, drugs), avoidance (procrastination, denial), and excessive rumination

Perceived Control

  • Perceived control is an individual's belief in their ability to influence or manage stressful situations
  • High perceived control leads to lower stress, empowerment, and problem-focused coping (taking direct action, seeking solutions)
  • Low perceived control results in higher stress, helplessness, and emotion-focused or maladaptive coping (avoidance, rumination)
  • Locus of control:
    1. Internal: belief that one's actions determine outcomes, associated with better stress management
    2. External: belief that external factors control outcomes, linked to poorer coping and adaptability

Social Support

  • Social support includes emotional (empathy, reassurance), informational (advice, guidance), and instrumental (financial aid, practical help) assistance from others
  • Benefits of social support:
    1. Buffers against negative effects of stress on physical and mental health
    2. Provides sense of belonging and connection, enhancing well-being
    3. Offers opportunities for sharing experiences, problem-solving, and gaining new perspectives
  • Higher levels of perceived social support are associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety, better cardiovascular health and immune function, increased resilience, and faster recovery from illness or injury
  • Cultivating social support networks involves building strong relationships (family, friends, colleagues), participating in community activities and social groups, and seeking professional support (therapy, support groups) when needed

Key Terms to Review (12)

Cortisol: Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that plays a crucial role in the body's stress response. It is often referred to as the 'stress hormone' due to its ability to help the body adapt and respond to stressful situations, both physical and psychological.
Learned Helplessness: Learned helplessness is a psychological state in which an individual has learned to believe that they are powerless to control or change their circumstances, often as a result of repeated exposure to uncontrollable or unavoidable negative experiences. This term is closely related to motivation, learning approaches, stress regulation, and mood disorders.
Social Support: Social support refers to the network of relationships and resources that individuals can rely on to cope with stress, navigate life's challenges, and promote overall well-being. It encompasses the emotional, informational, and practical assistance provided by family, friends, and communities.
Perceived Control: Perceived control refers to an individual's subjective belief about their ability to influence or control events and outcomes in their life. It is a psychological construct that reflects the extent to which people feel they have power over their circumstances and the ability to make decisions that affect their well-being.
Stress-Buffering Hypothesis: The stress-buffering hypothesis posits that social support can act as a buffer, or protective factor, against the negative effects of stress on physical and mental health. It suggests that the presence of supportive relationships and resources can help individuals cope more effectively with stressful life events.
Stress Inoculation: Stress inoculation is a psychological intervention technique that aims to help individuals develop coping strategies and become more resilient in the face of stressful situations. It involves gradually exposing a person to manageable levels of stress, allowing them to practice and refine their coping skills, ultimately enhancing their ability to handle more intense stress in the future.
Fight-or-Flight Response: The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival. It is a survival mechanism that prepares the body to either fight the threat or flee from it.
Problem-Focused Coping: Problem-focused coping is a strategy used to manage stressful situations by directly addressing the source of the problem. It involves taking active steps to alleviate or eliminate the stressor, rather than focusing solely on regulating the emotional response to the stressor.
Allostasis: Allostasis is the process by which the body achieves stability, or homeostasis, through physiological or behavioral change. It is a fundamental concept in understanding how the body responds to stress and maintains overall health and well-being.
Resilience: Resilience refers to the ability to adapt and bounce back from adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. It is a crucial psychological construct that enables individuals to cope effectively with challenging life events and maintain a positive outlook despite facing difficulties.
Emotion-Focused Coping: Emotion-focused coping refers to strategies that aim to regulate or manage the emotional distress associated with a stressful situation, rather than directly addressing the problem itself. It involves techniques to control and process one's emotions in a healthy way during times of stress.
Direct Effect Hypothesis: The direct effect hypothesis proposes that stress has a direct physiological impact on health outcomes, independent of behavioral changes. It suggests that the physiological responses triggered by stress, such as increased inflammation or altered immune function, can directly contribute to the development or exacerbation of health problems.