LECTURE :17

Stress
WHO EXPERIENCE THE MOST STRESS?
 People living in poverty tend to experience greater stress than other
people, primarily the environment in which they live are generally more
threatening.

 In addition they have fewer resources to help them cope with that stress.

 As a result they experience more health problems than do people in better

financial circumstances.

 Contrary to popular belief, women and men seem to be equally affected

by stress, although women and more likely than men to experience stress
when their marriage or other long-term relationships are deeply troubled.

 This appears to be a sign of greater commitment to the relationship rather

than an indication of greater vulnerability to stress.
WHAT LONG LASTING EFFECTS OF STRESS DO
WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED WITH?
 Psychologist Hans Selye contends that people react to physical and psychological
stress in three stages that he called the general gas syndrome (GAS).

 In stage 1, alarm reaction, the body recognizes that it must fight off some
physical or psychological danger .

 This recognition results in quickened respiration and heart rate, increased

sensitivity and alertness, an a highly charged emotional state– a physical
adaptation that augments our coping resources and helps us to regain self-control.

 If neither direct or nor defensive coping mechanisms succeed in reducing the

stress, we move on to Selye’s second stage of adaptation or resistance.

 During the resistance stage physical symptoms of strain appear as we intensify

our efforts to cope both directly and defensively .
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 If these attempts to regain psychological equilibrium fail,
psychological disorganization rages out of control until
we reach exhaustion, the third stage.

 In this phase we use increasingly ineffective defense

mechanisms to bring the stress under control.

 At this point some people loose touch with reality, while

others show signs of “burnout,” such as shorter attention
spans, irritability, procrastination, and general apathy.
WHY IS TYPE A BEHAVIOR RELATED TO
HEART DISEASE?
 Stress is known to be an important factor in the
development of coronary heart disease.

 Type A behavior pattern– a set of stressful characteristics

that includes hostility, urgency, competitiveness, and
striving –has been linked to a greater likelihood of
coronary disease.

 In 1950’s, Friedman & Rosenman (both cardiologists)

developed their theory based on an observation of the
patients with heart conditions in their waiting room.
EXAMPLE OF TYPE A PERSONALITY
 Unlike most patients, who wait patiently, some people seemed unable to sit
in their seats for long and wore out the chairs. They tended to sit on the
edge of the seat and leaped up frequently.

 What was unusual was that the chairs were worn down on the front edges of
the seats and armrests instead of on the back areas, which would have been
more typical. They were as tense as racehorses at the gate.

 The two doctors labeled this behavior Type A personality. They

subsequently conduced research to show that people with type A personality
run a higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure than type Bs.

 Although originally called 'Type A personality' by Friedman & Rosenman it

has now been conceptualized as a set of behavioral responses collectively
known as Type A Behavior Pattern.
WHY DO SO MANY STUDENTS GET SICK
DURING FINALS?
 Stress—such as that experienced by students during
examination periods—can suppress the functioning of
the immune system, the focus of the relatively new field
of psychoneuroimmunology . Stress can also increase
one’s susceptibility to the common cold.

 It is the study of the interaction between psychological

processes and the nervous and immune systems of the
human body.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
SOCIAL SUPPORT AND HEALTH?
 People with strong social-support systems enjoy better
health and in some cases increased longevity .

 Some evidence suggests that social support may directly

affect immune system functioning.

 Other studies suggest that the link between social

support and health may occur because people with high
levels of social support more frequently engage in
healthier behavior such as better diets and more physical
exercise.
WHAT ARE SOME SOURCES OF EXTREME
STRESS, AND WHAT IMPACT DO THEY HAVE?
 Stress derives from a number of sources, including
unemployment , divorce and separation, bereavement ,
combat, catastrophes.

 People try to cope with these intense life-altering events

in various ways; most resort to defense mechanisms at
one or more stages to allow themselves time to gather
their energies for more direct coping efforts later on.
WHAT EXPERIENCES CAN LEAD TO
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER?
 Extreme traumas may result in posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), a disabling emotional disorder whose
symptoms include anxiety, sleeplessness, and
nightmares.

 Combat veterans and people with a history of emotional

problems are especially vulnerable to PTSD.
WHAT QUALITIES DESCRIBE A WELL-
ADJUSTED PERSON?
 Psychologists are of several minds on what constitutes good
adjustment. Some believe that well-adjusted people live according
to social norms, having learned to control socially forbidden
impulses and to limit their goals to those that society allows.

 Others vehemently disagree; Barron for example , argues that the

refusal to adjust to social norms is the mark of a healthy
character .

 He suggested that well-adjusted people enjoy the difficulties and

ambiguities of life; they accept challenges and are willing to
experience pain and confusion because they are confident of their
abilities to deal with problems in a realistic and mature way.
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 Still other psychologists believe that well-adjusted
people are those who have learned to balance conformity
and nonconformity, self control and spontaneity.

 They can change themselves when society so dictates,

but they try to change society when this seems the better
course.

 Flexibility of this sort is considered a sign of being able

to judge realistically both the world and one’s own
chosen needs. It also signifies that one has chosen to live
in harmony with one’s inner self .
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 Finally some psychologists use specific criteria to
evaluate a person’s ability to adjust , such as how well
the adjustment solves the problem and satisfies both
personal needs and the needs of others.
DEFENSE MECHANISMS
 Identification: A form of defensive coping and may
occur in situations in which people feel completely
powerless . People who adopt this technique take on the
characteristics of a powerful person in order to gain a
sense of control.
 Regression: People under severe stress sometimes revert
to childlike behavior. Because adults can stand feeling
helpless, becoming more childlike can make total
dependency and helplessness more tolerable.
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 Intellectualize: Sometimes people intellectualize their
problems in order to emotionally distance themselves
from a particularly disturbing situation.
 Reaction Formation: refers to a behavioral form of
denial in which people express with exaggerated
intensity ideas and emotions that are the opposite of
their own.
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 Displacement: Through displacement, repressed
motives and feelings are redirected from their original
objects to substitute objects.
 Sublimation: Involves transforming repressed emotions
into more socially accepted ones.