PSYC-110N Week 6 Assignment: Managing Your Stress

what is stress? - answ ---The tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a situation strains our ability to cope effectively Stressors as Stimuli - answ ---Stressors can vary in severity -Traumatic events -Major life events -Daily hassles Stressors can be positive or negative biological responses to stress - answ ----stomach: output of digestive enzymes decreases. -Bowel: food movement slows down. -Saliva: flow decreases. -Blood vessels: blood pressure increases as major vessels dilate. -Heart: beats faster and harder stress as a response - answ ---Psychological and physiological responses to stress -Depression -Hopelessness -Hostility General Adaptation Syndrome - answ ----Alarm response: fight or flight response -Stage of resistance: adapts to stressors and finds ways to cope with it -Stage of exhaustion Hedonic set point - answ ---no matter what happens, avg level of happiness -hedonic treadmill (We are generally poor at predicting how long emotions will last) Primary appraisal - answ ---is the event harmful? Secondary appraisal - answ ---how well will we be able to cope with the event Stress as a Transaction - answ ----Stress is a subjective experience