Page 457 - Understanding Psychology

Summary and Vocabulary
Although all people experience stress at some point in their lives, how they react to it varies from individual to individual. People also use various techniques to cope with stress in their lives.
Sources of Stress
Chapter Vocabulary
stress (p. 413)
stressor (p. 414)
stress reaction (p. 414)
distress (p. 414)
eustress (p. 414)
conflict situation (p. 414)
anxiety (p. 422)
anger (p. 422)
fear (p. 422)
social support (p. 428)
cognitive appraisal (p. 431)
denial (p. 431)
intellectualization (p. 431)
progressive relaxation (p. 434)
meditation (p. 434)
biofeedback (p. 434)
autonomy (p. 437)
developmental friendship (p. 438)
resynthesis (p. 439)
career (p. 440) comparable worth (p. 441)
Main Idea: Stress results from our percep- tions of demands placed upon us and our evalua- tions of situations we encounter.
s Stress is a normal part of life that goes hand in hand with working toward any goal or facing any challenge.
s Making difficult decisions between two or more options results in conflicting motives and is a major source of stress.
s Major life changes are important sources of stress. Reactions to Stress
Main Idea: People react differently to life’s stressors. These reac- tions may be beneficial or harmful.
s The body reacts to stress with the fight-or-flight response. This prepares the individual to either face potentially dangerous situations or escape them.
s The general adaptation syndrome identifies three stages in the body’s stress reaction: alarm, resis- tance, and exhaustion.
s How people react to stress depends on their per- sonality type, their perception of control over stressors, and the social support they receive.
Main Idea: People deal with stress by employing defensive and active coping strategies.
s A person’s interpretation and evaluation of an event helps determine its stress impact.
s Common defense mechanisms used to cope with stress are denial and intellectualization.
s Active coping strategies involve changing the environment or modifying a situation to remove stressors or reduce the level of stress.
Coping With Stress
Main Idea: For many people, college and work involve adjustment and stress.
s Attending college stimulates change in many students.
s Students find several ways of coping with the stress of going to college.
s Job satisfaction is simply the attitude a worker has toward his or her job.
s Overall, women face a considerable gap between their income and that received by men.
Stress in Your Life
Chapter 15 / Stress and Health 443