Ch 3vocabulary - ch 3 vocab PDF

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Stress: The interpretation of specific events, called stressors, as threatening or challenging; the physical and psychological reactions to stress, known as the stress response. Stressor: A trigger or stimulus that induces stress. Cataclysmic event: A stressful occurrence that occurs suddenly and generally affects many people simultaneously. Chronic stress: A continuous state of arousal in which demands are perceived as greater than the inner and outer resources available for dealing with them. Conflict: A forced choice between two or more incompatible goals or impulses. Approach–approach conflict: The forced choice between two options, both of which have equally desirable characteristics. Approach–avoidance conflict: The forced choice within one option, which has equally desirable and undesirable characteristics. Avoidance–avoidance conflict: The forced choice between two options, both of which have equally undesirable characteristics. Hassle: Any small problem of daily living that accumulates and sometimes become a major source of stress. Burnout: A state of psychological and physical exhaustion that results from chronic exposure to high levels of stress, with little personal control. Frustration: Unpleasant tension, anxiety, and heightened sympathetic activity that results from a blocked goal. General adaptation syndrome (GAS): Selye’s three-stage (alarm, resistance, exhaustion) reaction to chronic stress; a pattern of nonspecific, adaptational response to a continuing stressor. SAM system: Our body’s initial, rapid-acting stress response, involving the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal medulla; called the sympatho–adreno–medullary (SAM) system. HPA axis: Our body’s delayed stress response, involving the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal cortex; also called the hypothalamic– pituitary– adrenocortical (HPA) axis. Homeostasis: Our body’s tendency to maintain a relatively balanced and stable internal state, such as a constant internal temperature. Psychoneuroimmunology: The interdisciplinary field that studies the effects of psychological and other factors on the immune system.

Type A: A pattern of behaviors and emotions that includes intense ambition, competition, exaggerated time urgency, and a cynical, hostile outlook; hostility increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Type B: A pattern of behaviors and emotions, characterized by a laid- back, relaxed attitude toward life. Positive affect: Demonstrating a sense of pleasure in the environment, including feelings of happiness, joy, enthusiasm, and contentment. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A trauma--and stressor--related disorder that develops from directly or indirectly experiencing actual or threatened death, serious injury, or violence. Health psychology: A subfield of psychology that studies how people stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond when they become ill. Problem-focused coping: The strategies we use to deal directly with a stressor to eventually decrease or eliminate it. Emotion-focused coping: The strategies we use to relieve or regulate the emotional impact of a stressful situation. Defense mechanisms: Freud’s description of the strategies the ego supposedly uses to protect itself from anxiety, which distorts reality and may increase self-deception. Internal locus of control: The belief that we control our own fate. External locus of control: The belief that chance or outside forces beyond our control determine our fate. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR): A stress reduction strategy based on developing a state of consciousness that attends to ongoing events in a receptive and nonjudgmental way....