Stress (part I)
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stress
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a negative emotional state when an event is seen as exceeding your ability to cope
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stressor
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any event or situation that causes stress or is perceived as a threat that is beyond your ability to cope with
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3 types of stress
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life events, daily hassles, social & cultural
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life events
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stressors that occur throughtout your lifespan; major milestones such as marriage, pregnancy, retirement, etc.
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daily hassles
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stressors that occur frequently and repeatedly; minor annoyancs that add up (cumulative) such as traffic, homework, dishes, bills, etc.
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social & cultural stressors
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stressors that occur due to your social &/or cultural environment such as racism, poverty, housing, healthcare
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Thomas Holmes & Richard Rahe
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early stress researchers who developed the idea of major life event stressors and th Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) to measure stress
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Social Readjustment Rating Scale
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scale developed by Holmes & Rahe to measure stress of major life events; measure both positive & negative events as stressful
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Criticisms of the SRRS
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1-different people respond differently to the same event 2-the same person responds differently to the same event 3- it wasn't a good predictor of future stress-related illness 4-didn't consider coping skills or perceived stress 5- positive life events don't always add stress
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Richard Lazarus
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stress researcher who developed the idea of daily hassles, the daily hassles scale, and the system of appraisal of stress related to the event and one's ability to cope; believes daily hassles were worse than major life events because they are cumulative (they add up like the straw that broke the camel's back)
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cognitive appraisal
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Richard Lazarus's term meaning: if we think we have the resources to effectively cope with an event, it will create little (or no) stress
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Lazarus's Appraisal of Stress model
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event --> primary appraisal (is this a threat?)-->if no, no stress; if yes-->secondary appraisal (can I cope with this?)--> if yes, mild stress; if not, major stress!
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cumulative
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daily hassles add up, one on top of the other, thereby causing more harm (in regard to developing stress-related illnesses) than major life events; research shows that Lazarus was right and that the frequency of daily hassles is linked to phychological and physical symptoms of illness
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lowest socioeconomic status
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group of people who have the highest level of stress, illness, and death due to social & cultural stressors
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indirect effects of stress
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stress induced changes in your behavior such as lack of sleep, poor eating habits, and using alcohol to cope which can lead to illness
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direct effects of stress
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stress induced muscles contractions that cause tightening and pain (headache, neck pain, etc.), triggers the sympathetic nervous system, altering bodily reactions and functions which can lead to illness
