Download 05-Managing Stress

Defining, Measuring, and
Managing Stress
The nervous system
Neurons
Synaptic Gap
Neurotransmitters
What are neurons?

How do they transmit information?
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Neurons
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Nerve cells
◦ Basic building
blocks of the
body’s information
processing
system.
Made up of
◦ Dendrites
◦ Axons
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Dendrites

Receive information
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Axon fibers
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Transmit information
to other
 Neurons
 Muscles
 Glands
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How do neurons communicate
to other cells to influence our
behavior?
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Synapse (Synaptic gap)

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Chemical messengers (neurotransmitters)
bridge the gap
Rats in an enriched environment will
increase their synapses.
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Neurotransmitters

Enable
communication
between
neurons
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Two major divisions of
nervous system

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Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
What are the parts of your
nervous system?

What do these parts do?
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Nervous system

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Central nervous system
 Brain and spinal column
Peripheral nervous system
 Links central nervous system (spinal
cord) to sense receptors, muscles and
glands
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Central Nervous system

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Brain and spinal column
Severed spinal cord E.g.
E.g. -Sally - knee jerk reaction without
sensation of a tap on the knee
 Bill - No genital sensations, but has
an erection when stimulated.
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Peripheral Nervous System

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Sympathetic
nervous system
(Arousing)
◦ Increases
heartbeat &
blood pressure
Parasympatheti
c nervous
system
(Calming)
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Peripheral nervous system

Somatic nervous system
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Skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system

Sympathetic
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“Fight or flight”
Mobilizes resources
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Parasympathetic
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Heart speeds up
Blood vessels in skin contract
Breathing increases
Relaxation and normal functioning
Increasing one, decreases the other
Theories of stress

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General Adaptation Syndrome
Lazarus’s view
General adaptation syndrome
(GAS)
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1. Alarm
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Sympathetic nervous system starts
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2. Resistance
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Adapts to stressor
Diseases of adaptation
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Prepares for “Fight or flight”
Ulcers
Hypertension
Cardiovascular disease
Bronchial asthma
3. Exhaustion
Lazarus’s View

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Interpretation (cognitive mediation) of
event is more important than the event
itself
Person’s perception of the situation is
critical

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Potential harm
Threats
Person’s ability to cope with them
Lazarus’s View

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Stressor + Cognitive mediation = Stress
Events do not produce stress - The
person’s view of the situation produces
the stress
The “Definition of the situation”
Measurement of stress
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Physiological
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Blood pressure
Heart rate
Galvanic skin response
Respiration rate
Self-report
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Used by most health psychologists
Sources of stress
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Cataclysmic events
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PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder

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In 1/4 to 1/3 of individuals experiencing
cataclysmic events
Irrational events create more stress
than natural disasters
Sources of stress

Occupation

High demands & low control = stress
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Executive rat
Strategies for coping with
stress
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Social support
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Durkheim’s suicide study
Personal control
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Internal locus of control
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Adopt best to stress
External locus of control
More personal control = better health
Strategies for coping with
stress
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Problem-focused coping
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Reduce stressor (change the situation)
Best for good health
Proactive coping

Anticipating a problem and taking steps to
avoid it
Strategies for coping with
stress

Emotion-focused coping

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Manage emotions
Meaning-focused coping

Create personal and spiritual meaning
Managing stress
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Relaxation training
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Progressive muscle relaxation
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Explanation = tense muscles
Breathe deeply & exhale slowly
Deep muscle relaxation exercises
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E.g. Tense and relax
Can be used with biofeedback and
hypnotic therapies
Managing stress
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Cognitive behavior therapy
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Changing attitudes and behavior
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Beliefs
Attitudes
Thoughts
Skills to change behavior
Cognitive behavior therapy
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1. Conceptualization stage
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Identify problems
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Educational
2. Skills acquisition and rehearsal stage
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Educational and behavior
Increase coping skills
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E.g. assertiveness
Practice
Monitor “self-talk”
3.Application and follow-through
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Put skills into practice
Emotional Disclosure
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James Pennebaker
Writing or talking about traumatic events
helps
Emotional self-disclosure improves
psychological and physical health
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E.g. writing letter
Emotional disclosure vs. emotional
expression
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Emotional disclosure
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Self- reflection
Emotional expression
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Crying