Chapter SummaryStress and Illness
People’s behaviors and stress responses are major influences on health and disease. Health psychology is contributing to the interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine, which provides new avenues for the prevention and treatment of illness. Among health psychology’s concerns are the effects of stress and the promotion of healthier living. Stress and Stressors Walter Cannon viewed stress, the process by which we appraise and respond to events that challenge or threaten us, as a "fight-or-flight" system. Hans Selye saw it as a three-stage (alarm-resistance-exhaustion) general adaptation syndrome. Modern research on stress assesses the health consequences of catastrophic events, significant life changes, and daily hassles. Stress and the Heart Coronary heart disease, the number one cause of death, has been linked with the competitive, hard-driving, impatient, and (especially) anger-prone Type A personality. Under stress, the body of a reactive, hostile person secretes more of the hormones that accelerate the buildup of plaque on the heart’s artery walls. Stress and Susceptibility to Disease Stress diverts energy from the immune system, making a person more vulnerable to infections and malignancy. Although stress does not cause diseases such as cancer, it may influence the disease’s progression. Research indicates that conditioning also influences the immune system’s responses. Promoting Health Preventing illness and promoting health through stress management and behavior change is far easier and more cost-effective than attempting to treat problems after they occur. Coping with Stress Stress can be coped with by directly addressing the stressor, using problem-focused coping, or by looking to others for our own emotional needs using the emotion-focused strategy. Influencing our coping with stress are the level of perceived control, explanatory style (optimism or pessimism), and social support. Managing Stress Among the components of stress-management programs are training in aerobic exercise, biofeedback, and relaxation. Although the degree of mind control over the body that can be gained through biofeedback has fallen short of early expectations, it sometimes helps control tension headaches and high blood pressure. Simple relaxation exercises offer some of the same benefits. Counseling Type A heart-attack survivors to slow down and relax has helped lower rates of recurring attacks. Social support also helps people cope, partly by buffering the impact of stress. Researchers are now trying to understand the active components of the religion-health correlation. Modifying Illness-Related Behaviors The largest preventable cause of death in North America is cigarette smoking, a fact that motivates health psychologists to study the social influences that cause adolescents to start smoking, the negative and positive reinforcers that maintain the habit, and possible ways to stop and prevent smoking. Researchers are also looking closely at what we eat and why. One line of study explores how certain foods, by providing the building blocks for specific neurotransmitters, affect mood and behavior. Other researchers are focusing on a national problem of obesity and weight control. Fat is a concentrated fuel reserve stored in fat cells. The number and size of these cells, influenced by genetics, determine one’s body fat. Obese people find it difficult to lose weight permanently because the number of fat cells is not reduced by dieting, because the energy expenditure necessary for tissue maintenance is lower in fat than in other tissues, and because overall metabolic rate decreases when body weight drops below the set point. To improve success rates, those who need to lose weight should minimize exposure to food cues, boost energy expenditure through exercise, set realistic goals, eat healthy foods spaced throughout the day, and make a lifelong change in eating patterns. |
Key TermsBehavioral Medicine - an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease.
Health Psychology - a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine. Stress - the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging. General Adaptation Syndrome - Seyle's concept that the body responds to stress with alarm, resistance and exhaustion. Burnout - exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation, usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. Coronary Heart Disease - the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries. Type A - Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people. Type B - Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people. Psychophysiological Illness - Literally, "mind-body" illness; any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches. Lymphocytes - the two types of white blood cells that are part of the body's immune system: 'B' form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections; 'T' form in the thymus and other lymphatic tissue and attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances. Aerobic Exercise - sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety. Biofeedback - a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension. Alternative Medicine - A variety of therapeutic or preventative health care practices that are alternatives to mainstream medicine, such as chiropractic, homeopathy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, naturopathy, and herbal medicine. Approach-Approach Conflict - a conflict in which one must choose between two equally attractive options. Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict - the internal conflict that occurs when competing alternatives are equally unpleasant. Approach-Avoidance Conflict - the internal conflict that occurs when a course of action has both positive and negative aspects. Coping - alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods. Psych Sim 5 ActivitiesExtras
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