Psychology and Sociology 20 flashcards ~10 min

Health Psychology and Stress

About this deck

Health psychology examines how psychological factors influence physical health, and stress is one of its most heavily tested topics. This deck of 20 flashcards covers the biological stress response, starting with the fight-or-flight response and the role of the sympathetic nervous system and cortisol, before introducing Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome and its three stages. You'll learn the difference between eustress and distress, common life-event and daily-hassle models of stress measurement, and the distinction between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. The deck also covers Type A versus Type B personality and its link to cardiovascular disease, social support's protective role, and health-relevant behaviors like the biopsychosocial model of illness. Suited to A-Level and AP Psychology students, this deck connects the biology of stress to the coping strategies and personality research most frequently tested in health psychology units.

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An automatic physiological reaction to a perceived threat, preparing the body to confront or flee danger.

The sympathetic nervous system.

Cortisol.

The adrenal medulla.

A three-stage model describing the body's response to prolonged stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

The body's resources are depleted, increasing vulnerability to illness.

Positive stress that can motivate and improve performance.

Negative stress that can harm wellbeing and health.

Coping strategies aimed at directly addressing or removing the source of stress.

Coping strategies aimed at managing the emotional response to stress rather than the stressor itself.

Competitiveness, urgency, and hostility — linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

A relaxed, easy-going disposition, associated with lower cardiovascular risk.

A model viewing health and illness as the result of biological, psychological, and social factors combined.

It can buffer the negative effects of stress on physical and mental health.

Measuring stress based on the cumulative impact of major life events.

Minor, everyday irritations that can accumulate to affect wellbeing, distinct from major life events.

The study of how psychological factors affect the immune system.

It can suppress immune function, making the body more susceptible to illness.

A tendency to suppress emotions, studied in relation to certain health outcomes.

A state of physical and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged, unmanaged stress, often work-related.