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Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
CHAPTER 18:
Health and Well-Being
Health and Well-Being
Mind Over Matter
The Self and Well-Being
Stress and Health
Coping with Stress
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
What’s Your Prediction?
Does Stress Lower Resistance?
 Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

A new subfield of psychology that examines
the interactions among psychological factors,
the nervous system, and the immune system
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Mind Over Matter
 “For a wide range of afflictions, 30 to 40
percent of patients experience relief after
taking a placebo.”

Walter A. Brown
 Placebo Effect

A placebo is any medical intervention designed
to improved one’s condition merely via the
power of suggestion.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
The Self and Well-Being
The Self-Awareness “Trap”
 Self-Awareness Theory

Self-focused attention leads people to notice
their shortcomings, thus motivating a change
in behavior or an escape from self-awareness
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
The Self and Well-Being
Positive Illusions
Unrealistic Optimism
 Regarding their future, students tend to rate their own
chances as above average for positive events and below
average for negative events.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
 Health Psychology
The study of the links between
psychological factors and
physical health and illness

Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
Leading Causes of Death, 1900-2000
 Since 1900, heart
disease, cancer, and
strokes have replaced
infectious diseases as
the major causes of
death.
 Behavioral factors
contribute to each of
these leading causes of
death.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Sources of Stress
Stress and Coping
 Stress: An aversive state of arousal triggered by the
perception that an event threatens the ability to cope
effectively.
 Although stressful events have effects on the body, the way
people cope can promote health or illness.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Sources of Stress
 Catastrophes

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• An anxiety disorder triggered by an extremely
stressful event, such as combat
 Major Life Events
 Microstressors

Result in the most significant source of stress
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Physiological Effects of Stress
General Adaptation Syndrome
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Physiological Effects of Stress
Personality & Coronary Heart Disease
 Type A Personality

Characterized by an
impatient, hard-driving, and
hostile pattern of behavior
 Type B Personality

Characterized by an
easygoing, relaxed pattern of
behavior
 People with Type A
personality are more prone to
coronary heart disease
(CHD).
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Physiological Effects of Stress
Pathways From Stress to CHD
 Under stress, people engage in behaviors that are
less healthy and they are more physiologically
reactive.
 Both of these contribute to coronary heart disease.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Immune System

A biological surveillance system that detects
and destroys “nonself” substances that
invade the body
 Lymphocytes

Specialized white blood cells that secrete
chemical antibodies and facilitate the
immune response
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Immune System
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Immune System
Immune System Components
B cell migrates
to a blood
vessel
Killer T-cell
attacks a tumor
cell
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Macrophage traps
and ingests a
bacterium
Stress and Health
The Immune System
Pathways From Stress to Illness
 Negative emotional states (stress) can lead
to unhealthy behaviors and trigger the
release of hormones that suppress immune
system activity.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Stress and Health
The Immune System
 Volunteers were
interviewed about life
stressors, then infected
with cold virus.
 As length of stress
increased, so did the
likelihood of catching
the cold.
 Stress impairs immune
system functioning.
Stress Duration and Illness
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Coping With Stress
Coping Strategies
 Two general types of coping strategies
Problem-focused coping, which is designed to
reduce stress by dealing with the problem
 Emotion-focused coping, in which one tries to
manage the negative emotions

• Thought Suppression
• Can be maladaptive
• Distraction works better
 Relaxation
 Aerobic Exercise
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Coping With Stress
Coping Strategies
 Heart attack patients
were taught to relax
their pace.

Relaxation and the Heart
A control group
received standard
medical care.
 After three years,
relaxation-trained
patients suffered 50%
fewer second heart
attacks.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Coping With Stress
The “Self-Healing Personality”
 Hardiness


It acts as a buffer against stress.
It is a personality style characterized by
commitment, challenge, and control.
• Commitment
– Sense of purpose in work, family, and life
• Challenge
– Openness to new experiences and change
• Control
– Belief that one has the power to influence
important future outcomes
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Coping With Stress
The “Self-Healing Personality”
Hopelessness and the Risk of Death
 In Finland, middleage men were rated
for hopelessness.
 Six years later, higher
ratings of
hopelessness
predicted risk of
overall death, cancer,
and heart attack.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Coping With Stress
Social Support
 Much evidence shows that social support
has therapeutic effects.


Women with breast cancer who joined support
groups lived an average of eighteen months
longer than women who did not join these
groups.
Across gender, age, income level, and ethnicity,
social support lowers mortality rates.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Estimated number of adults and children living with
AIDS at the start of 2000
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin