Introduction to Psychology

(Axel Boer) #1

Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org


KEY TAKEAWAYS



  • Stress refers to the physiological responses that occur when an organism fails to respond appropriately to emotional
    or physical threats.

  • The general adaptation syndrome refers to the three distinct phases of physiological change that occur in response to
    long-term stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

  • Stress is normally adaptive because it helps us respond to potentially dangerous events by activating the sympathetic
    division of the autonomic nervous system. But the experience of prolonged stress has a direct negative influence on
    our physical health.

  • Chronic stress is a major contributor to heart disease. It also decreases our ability to fight off colds and infections.

  • Stressors can occur as a result of both major and minor everyday events.

  • Men tend to respond to stress with the fight-or-flight response, whereas women are more likely to take a tend-and-
    befriend response.
    EXERCISES AND CRITICAL THINKING



  1. Consider a time when you experienced stress, and how you responded to it. Do you now have a better understanding
    of the dangers of stress? How will you change your coping mechanisms based on what you have learned?

  2. Are you good at emotion regulation? Can you think of a time that your emotions got the better of you? How might
    you make better use of your emotions?
    [1] Selye, H. (1956). The stress of life. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
    [2] American Medical Association. (2009). Three-fold heart attack increase in Hurricane Katrina survivors. Retrieved
    from http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/heart-attack-katrina-survivors.shtml
    [3] Pulcino, T., Galea, S., Ahern, J., Resnick, H., Foley, M., & Vlahov, D. (2003). Posttraumatic stress in women after the
    September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.Journal of Women’s Health, 12(8), 809–820.
    [4] Seyle, Hans (1936). A syndrome produced by diverse nocuous agents. Nature, 138, 32. Retrieved
    from http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/10/2/230a.pdf; Seyle, H. (1974). Forty years of stress research: Principal
    remaining problems and misconceptions.Canadian Medical Association Journal, 115(1), 53–56; Seyle, H. (1982). The nature of
    stress. Retrieved from http://www.icnr.com/articles/thenatureofstress.html
    [5] Rodrigues, S. M., LeDoux, J. E., & Sapolsky, R. M. (2009). The influence of stress hormones on fear circuitry. Annual Review
    of Neuroscience, 32, 289–313.

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