Walter Cannon (1935) Stresses and strains of homeostasis

Wolff (1950) brought to bear the relationship between
stress and adaptation in health and disease states

Hans Selye (1956), The Stress of Life, interest grew on the
relationship between thoughts and physiology (akin to placebo effects).

Schwartz & Weiss (1977) Behavioural Medicine is born out of psychosomatic medicine and Health Psychology is born.

Stress and Reactions to Stress

Stress, What is it? What do you do to alleviate it?

[review and short video]

Walter Cannon (1914, 1935) one of the first to use the term stress which involves both physiological and psychological aspects
-has an emotional aspect -arousal (Cannon-Bard Theory of emotion)
-may reach a critical level of stress that disrupts one's homeostasis

Hans Selye (1956) built upon Cannon's notion, providing the
General Adaptation Syndrome

Three stage syndrome that is a non-specific but idiosyncratic response. It has no single cause but differs 'in profile' from person to person

Stage 1. Alarm - mobilise response (sympathetic NS)

Stage 2. Resistance - coping and resistance

Stage 3. Exhaustion - vulnerability to disease and tissue damage
(Endocrine & ANS activity: adrenal cortex, spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, stomach, +..)

Extreme forms - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: major anxiety and other symptoms including nightmares as the direct result of serious trauma such as war, rape, earthquake, working as public rescue (police, fire, ambulance), ....

What makes a Stressor?

Primary Appraisal - Ask: is the event or 'stimulus' is stressful?
appraisal

Secondary Appraisal - Ask: am I prepared to deal with it? (coping)

Viktor Frankl - Nazi death camps, some people "gave up hope" they were called "dead in three days" because that is what happened once hope's gone.

Common Stressors
SRRS Major Life Events Scales - What's most stressful?

-Eustress pertains to physiological and psychological reactions of a positive nature that place some demand on the mind-body systems.

-Distress pertains to similar demands that are of a more negative or damaging nature. 

[Selye video]

There is a need for self-esteem and efficacy for survival. Self-discrepancy theory predicts less health when feeling incongruence to thoughts of self.

Coping

 Problem-focused coping involves the redefinition of a situation or alternatives.  This may be proactive, targeting the stressor and attempting to eliminate it before it has an impact. It may also involve combative coping where the adjustment is made to reduce the stressor or its effects after it has had an impact. 

Emotion-Focused coping involves an attempt to reduce emotional distress through controlling the event or reinterpreting the meaning of the stressor.

Common forms

• Drink alcohol and take drugs - may mask stress response and help forget, but leads to greater later problems with dependence and damage
• Doing nothing - getting stressed out and having symptoms
• Thought Suppression - think about something else - tropical beach, ...(pain)
• Self-handicapping - setting oneself up for failure through making things ready as an excuse or way to save face.
• Downward comparisons- boost self-esteem through comparison with less fortunate
• Reinterpretation of the situation
• Relaxation - meditation, imagery, yoga, Tai-Chi..form
• Listen to or play music
• Aerobic Exercise - walking, running, swimming, cycling, ... strengthens heart, lowers blood pressure, elevates mood, changes metabolism, improves cognitive functioning.
• Write down daily challenges in diary,
• Talk to a friend about daily challenges [daily video]