9.00SC | Fall 2011 | Undergraduate

Introduction to Psychology

Stress

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Session Overview

What stresses you out? What is stress and how does it affect our body? In this lecture, we will examine stress, the neural substrates of stress, and the ways in which stress manifests itself physically and emotionally.

Keywords: PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, stress, embodied cognition, emotional pain, type a personality, ulcers, stress and mortality, stereotype stress

Stress balls are marketed as a coping mechanism for stress. (Image by Weas Frikis on Flickr. License: CC-BY-NC-SA.)

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Discussion: Stress

So, let’s talk a little bit about the science of stress, the psychology of stress, and the physiology of stress. What’s going on when you say, “I’m stressed out” – what does that mean from a biological and a cognitive perspective?… Read more »

Check Yourself

Describe the three stages of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome.

› Sample answer

The general adaptation syndrome is comprised of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. In the alarm phase, an organism prepares physiologically and psychologically to respond to a stressor. This includes the release of hormones like cortisol and the activation of the HPA axis. In the resistance phase, the organism mobilizes resources to adapt to the contiued presence of a stressor. This may include reducing non-essential metabolic activities in preference for those that support the stress response. Cortisol levels remain high during this phase if the stressor is chronic. In the exhaustion phase, the physiological cost of maintaining a heightened response to the stressor begins to take its toll. Resources may be diverted away from essential systems (cf. resistance phase) which cause damage to the body and brain.

What is hostility in the context of psychological science? What are some of the effects of hostility on health?

› Sample answer

Hostility is a “personality trait associated with heart disease and characterized mistrust, an expectation of harm and provocation by others, and a cynical attitude.” Hostile personality traits are present in individuals with a so-called “Type A personality.” The heightened, chronic stress responses associated with hostility include high blood pressure and heart disease.

Coping strategies for handling stress can be either problem-focused or emotion-focused. Explain how these two approaches are different and similar. Identify general strategies that are examples of problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping.

› Sample answer

Problem-focused coping strategies are those that seek to change the external source of a stressor. This can include changing the environment itself, or changing how one interacts with the environment to avoid causing stress. Examples of general approaches to problem-focused coping include active coping (trying to remove or work around a stressor), planning (developing strategies for managing a stressor), and instrumental social support (seeking advice about specific actions from others), among others.

Emotion-focused coping strategies, meanwhile, are those that seek to change the internal response to a stressor. Rather than trying to reduce or remove the cause of stress, these strategies attempt to change the emotional response to the stressor – how it is experienced by an individual. Emotion-focused coping strategies include emotional social support (seeking affirmation and encouragement from others), venting emotions (talking about stressed feelings to others as a means to feeling better), and mental disengagement (trying to think about other, non-stressful things), among others.

Both emotion- and problem-focused approaches are viable methods for reducing stress.

Further Study

These optional resources are provided for students that wish to explore this topic more fully.

TYPE CONTENT CONTEXT
Book Saplosky, Robert M. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. 3rd ed. Holt Paperbacks, 2004. ISBN: 9780805073690. Book that Prof. Gabrieli recommends in class
Participate in research Project Implicit® Implicit Association Tests, http://implicit.harvard.edu/. Educational resource and research site for investigations in implicit social cognition, including more demonstrations and opportunities to participate in ongoing research.
Textbook supplement Study materials for Ch. 13, “Stress, Health, and Coping : Dealing With Life.” In Kosslyn & Rosenberg, Psychology in Context, 3/e (Pearson, 2007) Practice test questions, flashcards, and media for a related textbook

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Session Overview

What is the science behind freaking out and keeping cool? This discussion session complements the prior lecture session Stress.

Discussion

So, let’s talk a little bit about the science of stress, the psychology of stress, and the physiology of stress. What’s going on when you say, “I’m stressed out” – what does that mean from a biological and a cognitive perspective? Whatever our psychological and physical response to a stimulus that alters the body’s state of equilibrium is, that’s the technical definition of stress. So, while the body is going along in homeostasis, some stimulus comes along and reminds you that the world is a difficult and challenging place, and your physiological and mental systems have to deal with that. Whatever they do, that’s the stress response: the bodily changes that occur to help a person cope with a stressor.

The stimulus that causes stress can be either external (in the world) or internal (something we’re thinking about), and it can be either acute or chronic. Acute means that it happens and then it’s over; chronic means that it’s going on for a long time. And these stressors can be, for example, physical, psychological, or social.

Complete this chart with your own examples of different types of stressors:

STRESSOR ACUTE CHRONIC
Physical

  • Being injured in a car crash
  •  
  •  

  • Being malnourished
  • Having cancer
  •  
Psychological

  • Working against a deadline
  •  
  •  

  • Feeling constant pressure at work
  •  
  •  
Social

  • Being humiliated
  •  
  •  

  • Isolation
  • Overcrowding
  •  

For example, how would you characterize sleep deprivation? How about addiction?

Discussion

So, the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) is one way of quantifying the physiological response to stress. It starts with the alarm phase, where you recognize the stimulus and decide you need to tackle it. This activates the sympathetic nervous system and deactivates the parasympathetic nervous system. It releases glucocorticoids, the stress hormone and the biological marker of stress. Once you have appraised the situation and decided what to do, you enter the resistance phase, in which the body mobilizes its resources to return to equilibrium: it releases adrenaline, it keeps consciousness going, it prepares whatever physiological response you need. Once you’ve handled the stressor, you enter the exhaustion phase. You realize you’ve expended a lot of resources trying to keep yourself in equilibrium during the resistance phase, and it’s been physiologically expensive for you. You’re beat. This phase is associated with the negative effects of stress: getting sick, sleeping too much, and so on.

Stimuli aren’t inherently stressful. We interpret and appraise them, and then decide what we’re going to do about them. So let’s say you walk into this room and you see a snake. The first thing you have to do is appraise the situation, and the primary mechanism for appraisal is: am I in danger? If your primary appraisal says that this is not a bad thing, then you’re okay. Maybe it’s just an adorable picture of a snake.

But if it is dangerous, you engage in secondary appraisal and determine what to do. And you basically have two options: you can run away (the flight response) or you can face it head on (the fight response).

Once you’ve gone through these appraisal steps, how much stress the situation causes you is related to your perceived control over the situation. Typically, perceived control decreases stress. But when it comes to perceived control, there are a couple of caveats. Some people need control, and others find it even more stressful to be in control of a situation. Say you’re in a class that has a group project, and you’re the group leader. It’s your job to make sure that the 5 other people in your group submit their materials on time, and you’re the one the teacher will hold responsible. So, does that cause you more stress or less stress? Explain why, and give an example from real life.

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