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EXPLORING
PSYCHOLOGY
EIGHTH EDITION IN MODULES
David Myers
PowerPoint Slides
Aneeq Ahmad
Henderson State University
Worth Publishers, © 2011
Emotions, Stress, and Health
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Stress and Health
Module 29
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Stress and Illness
 The Stress Response System
 Stressful Life Events
Stress and the Heart
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Stress and Susceptibility to Disease
 Stress and the Immune System
 Stress and AIDS
 Stress and Cancer
 THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT:
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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Promoting Health
 Coping With Stress
 CLOSE-UP: Pets Are Friends, Too
 Managing Stress
 CLOSE-UP: The Relaxation Response
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Stress and Illness
Stress is the process by which we perceive
and respond to certain events, called stressors,
that we appraise as threatening or challenging.
Ben Carpenter experienced a wild ride when his wheelchair was stuck
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to the grill of a truck.
Stress and Illness
Stress is not merely a stimulus or a response. It is
a process by which we appraise and cope with
environmental threats and challenges.
Bob Daemmrich/ The Image Works
When short-lived or taken as a challenge, stressors may
have positive effects. However, if stress is threatening or
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prolonged, it can be harmful.
Stress and Illness
Stress can have positive effects. A momentary
stress can mobilize the immune system.
But, stress can also threaten us. If it is prolonged
(chronic stress), it increases our risk of illness and
health problems.
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The Stress Response System
Cannon proposed that the stress response (fast)
was a fight-or-flight response marked by the
outpouring of epinephrine and norepinephrine
from the inner adrenal glands, increasing heart
and respiration rates, mobilizing sugar and fat,
and dulling pain.
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General Adaptation Syndrome
According to Selye, a stress response to any kind of
stimulation is similar – general adaptation syndrome (GAS).
The stressed individual goes through three phases.
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Stressful Life Events
Research has focused on three types of stressors:
•Catastrophies: Unpredictable, large-scale events like wars,
and natural disasters that lead individuals to become
depressed, sleepless, and anxious.
•Significant Life Changes: Life transitions such as a
marriage, divorce, death of a loved one, or loss of a job.
These changes are often felt most in young adulthood,
contributing to high levels of reported stress in those under
50.
•Daily Hassles: Everyday annoyances such as traffic, long
lines, long to-do lists, and email spam. These may be the
most significant contributors to stress. Over time they can
add up and take a toll on health.
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Stress and the Heart
Stress that leads to elevated blood pressure may
result in coronary heart disease, a clogging of the
vessels that nourish the heart muscle.
Although infrequent before 1900, by 1950 it was
North America’s leading cause of death, and
remains so today.
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Personality Types
Type A is a term used for competitive, harddriving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and
anger-prone people. Type B refers to easygoing,
relaxed people (Friedman and Rosenman, 1974).
Type A personalities are more likely to develop
coronary heart disease.
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Pessimism and Heart Disease
Pessimistic adult men are twice as likely to
develop heart disease over a 10-year period
(Kubzansky et al., 2001).
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Stress & Susceptibility to Disease
A psychophysiological illness is any stress-related
physical illness such as hypertension and some
headaches.
Stress also affects the immune system.
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Stress and the Immune System
Your immune system is a complex surveillance system that
defends your body. It includes two types of white blood cells
called lymphocytes. B lymphocytes fight bacterial infections, T
lymphocytes attack cancer cells and viruses. There are also
macrophages which ingest foreign substances and natural killer
cells which pursue diseased cells. During stress, energy is
mobilized away from the immune system making it
vulnerable.
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Stress and the Immune System
Stress depressed the immune system leading to
slower healing of wounds and greater vulnerability
to infection.
People with the
highest life stress
scores were also
most vulnerable
when exposed to
a cold virus.
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Stress and AIDS
Stress and negative emotions may accelerate the
progression from human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) to acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS).
UNAIDS/ G. Pirozzi
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Stress and Cancer
Stress does not create cancer cells. Researchers
disagree on whether stress influences the
progression of cancer. However, they do agree
that avoiding stress and having a hopeful attitude
cannot reverse advanced cancer.
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Complementary and Alternative
Medicine
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) includes as
yet unproven health care treatments intended to supplement
(complement) or serve as alternatives to conventional medicine.
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Health-Related Consequences
Stress can have a variety of health-related
consequences.
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Promoting Health
We tend to only think of health when we are
diseased. However, health psychologists say that
promoting health begins by reducing stress,
preventing illness, and enhancing well-being.
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Coping with Stress
Because stressors are unavoidable, coping - alleviating
stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral
methods - is essential.
Reducing stress by changing events that cause stress
or by changing how we react to stress is called
problem-focused coping.
Emotion-focused coping is when we cannot change
a stressful situation, and we respond by attending
to our own emotional needs.
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Perceived Control
Research with rats and humans indicates that
the absence of control over stressors is a
predictor of health problems.
This may help explain the link between
economic status and longevity.
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Optimism and Health
Studies indicate that our basic outlook can
influence how we deal with stress.
Optimists (rather than pessimists) perceive
more control, cope better with stressful events,
and enjoy better health
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Social Support
Supportive family members, marriage partners,
and close friends help people cope with stress.
Their immune functioning calms the
cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure.
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Managing Stress Effects
Having a sense of control, an optimistic
explanatory style, and social support can reduce
stress and improve health.
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Aerobic Exercise
Can aerobic exercise
boost spirits? Many
studies suggest that
aerobic exercise can
elevate mood and wellbeing because aerobic
exercise raises energy,
increases selfconfidence, and lowers
tension, depression, and
anxiety.
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Relaxation and Meditation
Dozens of studies have found that relaxation procedures can
help alleviate hypertension, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia
Recurrent heart attacks and life-style modification.
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Spirituality & Faith Communities
Regular religious attendance has been a reliable
predictor of a longer life span with a reduced
risk of dying.
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Spirituality and Health
Investigators suggest there are three factors that
connect religious involvement and better health.
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