Print › AP Psych Health and Stress

Adjustment: any attempt-successful or not-to cope with stress, balance personal needs against the demands of the environment, weigh desires against realistic possibilities, and to manage as well as we can
Approach/Approach Conflict: one of Kurt Lewin’s basic types of conflict; conflict dilemma where an individual is attracted to 2 appealing goals; the stress in this type of conflict is the fact that in choosing one desirable option, the individual must give up another desirable option
Approach/Avoidance Conflict: one of Kurt Lewin’s basic types of conflict; conflict dilemma where an individual is both attracted to and repelled by the same goal; the most common form of conflict; there is both good and bad about the goal; the tendency to avoid increases as an individual gets closer to the goal
Avoidance/Avoidance Conflict: one of Kurt Lewin’s basic types of conflict; conflict dilemma where an individual is attracted to 2 possibilities are undesirable or threatening and do not any positive features; people tend to “escape” the situation or choose the possibility which is the least worst or wait for the situation to resolve the conflict for the individual
Compromise: a direct coping skill; one of the most common and effective methods of dealing with conflict and frustration; deciding on a more realistic solution or goal when the ideal solution or goal is not practical
Conflict: most common of life’s troubles; simultaneous existence of incompatible demands, opportunities, needs, or goals; Kurt Lewin, 1930s, describes conflict in terms of 2 opposing tendencies-approach and avoidance
Confrontation: a direct coping skill; acknowledging to oneself that there is a problem for which a solution must be found, attacking the problem head-on, and pushing resolutely towards one’s goals; can include expressions of anger
Defense Mechanisms: developed by Sigmund Freud but enhanced by Anna Freud; self-deceptive techniques to reduce anxiety and guilt; can operate consciously or unconsciously; means of coping with stress
Denial: defense mechanism; refusing to acknowledge a painful or threatening reality; Example: Ray has terminal cancer but instead he believes he has bronchitis
Displacement: defense mechanism; shifting repressed motives from one object to another object; Example: angry at this instructor’s unreasonable request, Nelson yells at his mother instead of confronting his instructor.
Frustration: feeling when a person is prevented from reaching a goal; 5 common sources of frustration (Morris, 1990): delays (delay in time), lack of resources (“keeping up with the Jones”), losses (cause hopelessness or worthlessness), failure (depends on individual talent and effort), and discrimination (denial of opportunities); road rage is an example of increased frustration
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): extension of Cannon’s theory of the fight or flight response by Hans Seyle; reactions to physical/psychological stressors in 3 stages: alarm reaction (alert, increase emotions, increase physical reactions), resistance (coping techniques, physical symptoms), exhaustion (desperate attempt @ coping, “burn out”)
Health psychology: field that studies the biological model of stress and the ways in which psychological factors such as stress influence wellness and illness
Identification: defense mechanism; taking on characteristics of someone else to avoid feeling incompetent; Example: Anthony, uncertain of his own attractiveness, takes on this dress and mannerisms of a popular teacher.
Intellectualization: defense mechanism; thinking abstractly about stressful problems as a way of detaching oneself from them; Example: After learning that she has not been asked to a classmate’s costume party, Tina coolly discusses how social cliques control school life.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): psychological disorder; characterized by episodes of anxiety, sleeplessness, and nightmares resulting from some disturbing event in the past (typically a trauma); victims of abuse, soldiers, refugees
Pressure: a feeling that occurs when an individual feels forced to speed up, intensify, or shift direction in our behavior; compulsion to meet a higher standard of performance; often felt at places of employment
Projection: defense mechanism; attributing one’s own repressed motives, feelings, or wishes; Example: Marilyn is unfairly passed over for a promotion; she denies that she is angry but is sure that her supervisor is angry with her
Psychoneuro-immunology (PNI): new field; studies the interaction between stress and immune, endocrine, and nervous system activity; the extent that stress disrupts the functioning of the immune system, it can impair health.
Reaction Formation: defense mechanism; expression of exaggerated ideas and emotions that are the opposite of one’s repressed beliefs or feelings; Example: At work, Michael loudly states that he would never take advantage of a rival, though his behavior indicates the opposite.
Regression: defense mechanism; reverting to childlike behavior and defenses; Example: Angry because his plan to reorganize his division has been rejected, Bob throws a tantrum.
Repression: defense mechanism; most common of defense mechanisms; pushing or excluding uncomfortable thoughts from consciousness; Example: Lisa, who was caught shoplifting when she was in high school, has no recollection of the event
Stress: psychological tension or strain; state where a person wonders how he/she can cope with his/her environmental demands-can manifest by nausea, headache, pounding heart, anxiety, or muscle ache/tension
Sublimation: defense mechanism; redirecting repressed motives and feelings into a more socially accepted channel; Example: Hitting a punching bag instead of hitting the person who made you angry.
Withdrawal: a direct coping skill; avoiding a situation when other forms of coping are not practical; can be seen as a refusal to face problems or can be effective way to cope with stress