reflect internal feelings constrict:muslce and breath
Latin
stringere(tighten) and strictus(tight/narrow)
STRESS
disruptive
organism :pattern of respones
to stimuus event
The pattern of responses an organism makes to stimulus event that
disturbdisturbs
equili the equilibrium and exceeds a person’s ability to cope.
exceed ability to cope
reaction to external stressors: STRAIN
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Stress is derieved from the Latin word,
stringere (tighten) and strictus (tight/narrow)
The word stress has its origin in the Latin words ‘strictus’, meaning tight or narrow and ‘stringere’,
the verb meaning to tighten.
These root words reflect the internal feelings of tightness and constriction of the muscles and
breathing reported by many people under stress.
Stress is often explained in terms of characteristics of the environment that are disruptive to the
individual. Stressors are events that cause our body to give the stress response. Such events
include noise, crowding, a bad relationship, or the daily commuting to school or office.
The reaction to external stressors is called ‘strain
2
Cognitive theory of stress was proposed by Lazarus and his colleagues.
According to the cognitive theory of stress, perception of stress is dependent upon the cognitive
appraisal of the situation along with the resources available to deal with it.
subjective interpretation and evaluation
prim an secondary
STRAIN: Reaction to external stressors NATURE OF
STRESS:
• HANS SELYE: Father of modern stress research.
➢ Non specific response
➢ Regardless of cause, physiological reaction is the same
3
Primary appraisal
Secondary appraisal
(Positive, Negative &
(When Negative)
Neutral)
Negative-
▪ Harm: damage that has already been assessment of whether one’s
done by an event coping abilities and skills and if
▪ Threat: possible future damage that may they’ll be enough to meet
be bought by the change harm/threat/challenge of event
▪ Challenge: Confident expectations of the
ability to cope
Two level appraisal process determines cognitive, behavioural, emotional and
physiological responses
FACTORS:
These appraisals are very subjective and will depend on many factors.
One factor is the
) past experience of dealing with such a stressful condition.
2) Another factor is whether the stressful event is perceived as controllable, i.e.
whether one has mastery or control over a situation
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Stresses which people experience also vary in terms of
Intensity (low intensity vs. High intensity)
Duration (short-term vs. Longterm)
Complexity ( less complex vs. More complex)
Predictability (unexpected vs. Predictable).
The outcome of stress depends on the position of a
particular stressful experience along these
dimensions.
TYPES OF STRESSORS
Psychological:
Social Internal sources of stress ,
Environmental and personal and unique.
physical: ➢ Frustration: Obstacle
Induced externally, blocking path to goal
Physical stressors cause achievement
changes in our body’s state result from our
interaction with ➢ Conflict: Choosing between
(include sleep deprivation, two or more incompatible
lack of nutritious food, over others.
goals. Eg: Study
exertion, injuries). psychology or dance
Environmental stressors Eg: strained
relationships, trouble ➢ Internal pressures: putting
include air pollution, fire, pressure on self, unrealistically
floods, crowding. They’re with neighbours
high expectations
unavoidable from ourselves
Social pressures may be
brought about from people who
make excessive demands on
us.
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Sources
of Stress
Life Traumatic
Hassles
Events Events
STRESS REACTIONS
Effects Of Stress
Physiological Cognitive Emotional Behavioural
• production of beliefs about the
harm or threat negative emotions Confrontative
certain (fight)
such as fear, anxiety,
hormones, such
beliefs about its embarrassment,
as adrenaline or
causes or anger, depression or
and cortisol
controllability. even denial.
withdrawal
• marked changes (flight)
in heart rate, inability to
blood pressure concentrate, and
levels, intrusive, repetitive or
metabolism and morbid thoughts
physical activity.
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Examination Anxiety
Examination anxiety is a fairly common phenomenon
that involves feelings of tension or uneasiness that occur
before, during, or after an examination.
Evaluative Apprehension
Evaluative Stress
Effects Of Stress On Psychological
Functioning And Health
Emotional Effects Physiological Effects Cognitive Effects Behavioural Effects
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This state of physical, emotional and
psychological exhaustion is known as burnout.
Stress has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular
disorders, high blood pressure, as well as psychosomatic disorders
including ulcers, asthma, allergies and headaches
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General Adaptation Syndrome
Selye studied this issue by subjecting animals to a variety of
stressors such as high temperature, X-rays and insulin injections,
in the laboratory over a long period of time. He also observed
patients with various injuries and illnesses in hospitals. Selye
noticed a similar pattern of bodily response in all of them. He
called this pattern the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XADIs-A1iiM
psychological appraisal of events is
important for the determination
According to him, GAS involves three stages:
not mention: limit
Alarm Reaction, Resistance & Exhaustion
(prolong)
Resistance stage : If stress is prolonged, the Exhaustion stage : Continued exposure to the
Alarm reaction stage :
resistance stage begins. same stressor or additional stressors drains the body
of its resources and leads to the third stage of
Noxious stimulus or stressor activation of the
The parasympathetic nervous system calls exhaustion. The physiological systems involved in
adrenal pituitary-cortex system hormones
for more cautious use of the body’s resources. alarm reaction and resistance become ineffective
producing the stress response Fight or flight.
The organism makes efforts to cope with the and susceptibility to stress-related diseases such as
threat, as through confrontation. high blood pressure becomes more likely.
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Selye’s model has been criticised for assigning a very limited role to psychological
factors in stress. Researchers have reported that the psychological appraisal of events is
important for the determination of stress. How people respond to stress is substantially
influenced by their perceptions, personalities and biological constitutions.
Stress and the Immune System
Psychoneuroimmunology focuses on the links
between the mind, the brain and the immune system.
more likely to expose themselves to pathogens,
It studies the effects of stress on the immune system.
Natural killer cells are involved in the fight against both viruses and tumours. Stress can
affect natural killer cell cytotoxicity, which is of major importance in the defence against
various infections and cancer. Reduced levels of natural killer cell cytotoxicity have been
found in people who are highly stressed
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Lifestyle
Stress can lead to unhealthy lifestyle or health damaging behaviour. Lifestyle is the overall
pattern of decisions and behaviours that determine a person’s health and quality of life.
Stressed individuals may be more likely to expose themselves to pathogens, which are agents
causing physical illness. People who are stressed have poor nutritional habits, sleep less and
are likely to engage in other health risking behaviours like smoking and alcohol abuse.
COPING WITH STRESS
dynamic constantly changingcognitive and behavioura lefforts to master
situation specific
concrete response
Coping is a dynamic situation-specific reaction to stress. It is a set of concrete responses
tointended
stressful situations
to or events that are intended to resolve the problem and reduce stress.
solve problems
&
reduce stress
regulate the
emotional response
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Coping Strategies By Endler And Parker
efforts to......
Task-oriented Strategy :
Avoidance-oriented Strategy :
This involves obtaining Emotion-oriented Strategy :
This involves denying or
information about the stressful
stressor efforts to maintain hope and to
minimising the seriousness of
situation and& about alternative control one’s emotions; it can
the situation; it also involves
courses of action and&their also involve
& venting feelings of
conscious suppression of
probable outcome; it also anger and frustration, or
stressful thoughts and their
involves deciding priorities and deciding that nothing can be
replacement by self protective
acting so as to deal directly with done to change things.
thoughts.
the stressful situation.
Lazarus and Folkman
Conceptualised coping as a dynamic process rather than an individual trait.
Coping refers to constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to master, reduce
or tolerate the internal or external demands that are created by the stressful transaction.
Coping serves to allow the individual to manage or alter a problem and regulate the
emotional response to that problem.
According to them coping responses can be divided into two types of responses
problem-focused and emotion focused.
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Lazarus and Folkman
---focused!
conceptualised: dynamic over indvidual trait
Problem-focused strategies attack thevalue dec
threat
problem itself, with behaviours designed to psych chnages
gain information, to alter the event, and to
alter belief and commitments. Emotion-focused strategies call for psychological
changes designed primarily to limit the degree of
They increase the person’s
inc: awareness, level emotional disruption caused by an event, with
of knowledge, and range of behavioural and minimal effort to alter the event itself.
cognitive coping options. They can act to
reduce the threat value of the event.
Research suggests that people generally tend to use the former more often than the latter.
Stress Management Techniques
(plan & delegate)
Relaxation Techniques Meditation Procedures Biofeedback
Yogic method of Procedure to monitor and
Relaxation starts from the reduce the physiological
Meditation consists of a
lower part of the body and aspects of stress by providing
sequence of learned
progresses up to the facial feedback about current
techniques for refocusing
muscles in such a way that the physiological activity and is
of attention that brings
whole body is relaxed. often accompanied by
about an altered state of
consciousness. relaxation training.
Deep breathing Biofeedback training involves three
stages :
1. Developing an awareness of the
particular physiological response
2. 2. Learning ways of controlling that
physiological response in quiet
conditions
3. Transferring that control into the
conditions of everyday life.
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Cognitive Behavioural Techniques : Exercise can provide an
Creative Visualisation
These techniques aim to inoculate people active outlet for the
is a subjective
against stress. physiological arousal
experience that uses
experienced in response
imagery and
Stress inoculation training by to stress.
imagination.
Meichenbaum. The essence of this
approach is to replace negative and
irrational thoughts with positive and rational
ones.
There are three main phases in this :
assessment, stress reduction techniques,
and application and follow through.
Assessment involves discussing the nature
of the problem and seeing it from the
viewpoint of the person/client.
Stress reduction involves learning the
techniques of reducing stress such as
application
relaxation and self-instruction.
follow thru
Promoting Positive Health And Well-being
Stress resistant personality:
• Given by Kobasa
• People with high levels of stress but low levels of illness share three
characteristics which are referred to as personality traits of hardiness
• Hardiness is set of beliefs of ones self, environment and their interaction
• Three Cs
Commitment: Personal commitment, commitment to work, family, hobbies,
social life
Control: Control over life, have sense of purpose and direction
Challenge: See changes as normal and positive rather than as a threat
Since all of us don’t have these characteristics, we relearn specific life skills
instead to cope with demands of everyday life
not all have: LIFE SKILLS LEARN KRO
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LIFE SKILLS
Abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal
effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life
1) communicate
2) express openly
3) say no w/o being self conc
Assertiveness: Time management
➢ Behaviour or skill that helps to Learning how to plan and
communicate, clearly and confidently delegate time relieves
our feelings, needs, wants and pressure
thoughts
➢ Ability to say no to a request, state
opinions without being self conscious,
or to express emotions such as love,
anger etc openly
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Rational thinking Improving relationships
Communication is essential
Stress related problems: result of distorted
thinking Three skills:
When stressed, we have inbuilt bias to
attend to negative thoughts and images Listening to what the other person has to
from the past which affects our perception say
of the past and future Expressing how you feel and what you
think
Accepting others opinions and beliefs
Principles of rational thinking: even if they differ from ours
i. Challenging distorted thinking and
irrational beliefs
ii. Driving out potentially intrusive
negative anxiety provoking thoughts
iii. Making positive statements
Self care
Overcoming
Must keep ourselves healthy, fit and unhelpful habits
relaxed to deal with stressors
Perfectionists:
Breathing patterns- reflect our state Avoidance
of mind- stressed and anxious: Procrastination
rapid and shallow breathing from
high in chest with frequent sighs,
relaxed breathing:
slow, stomach-centred breathing
from diaphragm
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POSITIVE HEALTH
social support
Diet Exercise Positive attitude Positive thinking
Social support
experienced by someone who
Someone who believes that they belong to a social network of communications and mutual
obligations experiences social support
Perceived support: quality of social support is positively related to health and well being
Social network: quantity of social support is unrelated to well being, because its time consuming
and demanding to maintain a large social network
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Types of social
support:
dad sam devisha
Informational support Emotional support
Tangible support: involves
providing information Reassuring individual they
material support- money, goods,
are valued, loved and
services
cared for.
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