Stress and Coping

Made by Aušrinė AdomaitytėPsbns9-01

Content:The phenomenon of stressGood and bad stressStressorsThe high cost of stressConsequences of stressCoping with stressLearned helplessnessCoping stylesKeep stress under control

What is stress?Stress : a person’s

response to events that are threatening or challenging.

Stressors : circumstances and events that produce threats to our well-being.

Good stress and bad stress

Paper on exam deadline

A family problemBungee jumpingPlanning a partyTreat of a

terrorist attackDeath of a loved

one

Categorizing stressorsCataclysmic events: strong stressors that occur

suddenly, affecting many people at once (e.g., natural disasters)

Personal stressors: Major life events, such as the death of a family member, that have immediate negative consequences that generally fade with time.

Background stressors (“daily hassles”): Everyday annoyances, such as being stuck in traffic, that causes minor irritations and may have long term ill effects if they continue or are compounded by other stressful event.

The high cost of stressBiological consequences: rise in hormone secretions by the adrenal glands an increase in heart rate and blood pressure changes in how well skin conducts electrical impulsesand many other

Psychological consequences: stress prevent people from coping with life the view of the environment can become clouded people can become less able to deal with new stressors

Hans Selye General adaptation syndrome (GAS): A theory that a person’s response to a stressor

consists of three stages.Stages:1. Alarm and mobilization – people become

aware of the presence of a stressor.2. Resistance – body prepares to fight the

stressor.3. Exhaustion – person’s ability to adapt to the

stressor declines to the point where negative consequences of stress appear.

Consequences of stressDirect physiological effects Elevate blood pressure Decreases in immune system functioning Increase hormonal activity Psychophysiological conditionsHarmful behaviors Increased smoking, alcohol use Decreased nutrition Decreased sleep Increased drug useIndirect health-related behaviorsDecreased compliance with medical advice Increased in delays in seeking medical adviceDecreased in likelihood of seeking medical advice

Coping with stressEmotion-focused coping. People try to manage their emotions in the face

of stress, seeking to change the way they feel about or perceive a

problem.

Problem-focused coping. Attempts to modify the stressful problem or

source of stress. These strategies lead to changes in behavior or to the development of a plan of action to deal with stress.

Other forms of coping with stressAvoid coping: a person may use wishful thinking

to reduce stress or use more direct escape routes, such as drug use, alcohol use, and overeating.

Defense mechanisms: unconscious strategies that people use to reduce anxiety by concealing the source from themselves or others.

Emotional insulation: a person stops experiencing any emotions at all, thereby remaining unaffected and unmoved by both positive and negative experiences.

Learned helplessnessLearned helplessness: a state in which people

conclude that unpleasant or aversive stimuli cannot be controlled – a view of the world that becomes so ingrained that they ceases trying to remedy be averse circumstances, even if they actually can exert some influence.

Coping stylesHardiness: a personality characteristic associated

with a lower rate of stress-related illness, consisting of three components:

Commitment is a tendency to throw ourselves into whatever we are doing with a sense that our activities are important and meaningful.

Challenge. Hardy people believe that change, rather than stability, is the standard condition of life. To them, the anticipation of change serves as an incentive rather than threat to their security.

Control. Hardiness is marked by a sense of control-the perception that people can influence the events in their lives.

Keep stress under controlTake a stand against overschedulingBe realisticGet a good night’s sleepLearn to relaxTreat your body wellWatch what you are thinkingSolve the little problems

Conclusion Stress is unavoidable part of life, whether it

is a positive or negative stress, everyone has to face it. It is important to learn coping techniques and keep stress under control.

References:Information was taken on September 19th

Robert Feldman. “Understanding Psychology”, New York (N.Y.) : McGraw-Hill, 2008

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/stress.html#http://www.cmha.ca/english/coping_with_stress/

Picture references:

Pictures were picked on September 23th: http://ofwnow.com/ http://www.examiner.com/healthy-trends-in-atlanta/don-t-let-the-tax-d

eadline-stress-out-your-health http://istudyathes.com/tag/exams/ http://shanghaiist.com/2009/07/28/bungee_jumping_coming_to_the_hu

angp.php http://www.mirror.co.uk/life-style/real-life/2009/04/21/are-stressed-mu

ms-the-new-binge-drinkers-115875-21293105/ http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?

blogentryid=443037&showcomments=true http://www.topnews.in/healthcare/content/-21014resistance-aerobic-

exercises-combo-boosts-obese-older-adults-health http://www.healthylegacy.org/consumer_food.cfm http://www.rednoise.org/pdal/index.php?n=Main.Questions

Thank you for your attention.Any questions?