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3.3 - Effects of Stress on Psychological Functioning and Health

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Understanding Stress

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Teacher
Teacher

Today, we will explore the concept of stress. Stress isn't just about feeling overwhelmed; it can actually be both good and bad. The good kind is called 'eustress' which can motivate us, while 'distress' can negatively impact our health.

Student 1
Student 1

What are some examples of eustress and distress?

Teacher
Teacher

Great question! Eustress might be the excitement before a big sports game, while distress could be the anxiety before an important exam. Remember, stress is all about perception!

Student 2
Student 2

So, the same situation can be stressful for one person and motivating for another?

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! It depends on how we perceive the challenge. Let's break it down further as we discuss the sources of stress.

Sources of Stress

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Teacher
Teacher

Stress can come from many sources: major life events, daily hassles, and environmental factors. Major life events, like moving houses or losing a loved one, can weigh heavily on a person.

Student 3
Student 3

What about daily hassles? Can they also be significant?

Teacher
Teacher

Absolutely! Daily hassles, like traffic jams or work deadlines, can accumulate and lead to substantial stress. It's important to address these to maintain our wellbeing.

Student 4
Student 4

How can we manage everyday stress better?

Teacher
Teacher

Excellent query! We’ll soon discuss effective stress management techniques.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

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Teacher
Teacher

Let's explore General Adaptation Syndrome, or GAS. It describes how our bodies react to stress in three stages: Alarm Reaction, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

Student 1
Student 1

Can you explain the stages in more detail?

Teacher
Teacher

Certainly! In the Alarm Reaction stage, your body detects stress and prepares to respond. In the Resistance stage, the body tries to adapt to the stressor, and if the stress continues, it can lead to the Exhaustion stage, where the body’s resources are depleted.

Student 2
Student 2

What happens during the Exhaustion stage?

Teacher
Teacher

Good question! In this stage, physical and mental fatigue occurs, increasing vulnerability to illnesses. That's why managing stress is crucial.

Effects of Stress

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Teacher
Teacher

Stress manifests through various effects: emotional, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral. Emotionally, it may cause mood swings; physiologically, it can raise blood pressure.

Student 3
Student 3

Do these effects differ from person to person?

Teacher
Teacher

Absolutely! Everyone reacts differently based on past experiences and coping abilities, which is crucial for our discussions on coping strategies.

Student 4
Student 4

What kind of coping strategies should we focus on?

Teacher
Teacher

We will explore both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies next.

Coping with Stress

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Teacher
Teacher

Coping strategies are essential to mitigate stress. Problem-focused coping aims to tackle the source of stress, while emotion-focused coping helps manage emotional responses.

Student 1
Student 1

Can you give some examples of both types of coping?

Teacher
Teacher

Of course! An example of problem-focused coping is planning for an upcoming exam, while emotion-focused could be talking about your feelings with a friend.

Student 3
Student 3

How does social support fit into this?

Teacher
Teacher

Social support plays a significant role in how we cope with stress. People with strong support networks tend to manage stress more effectively. Remember, you are not alone!

Student 4
Student 4

That makes sense! Thanks for explaining this.

Introduction & Overview

Read a summary of the section's main ideas. Choose from Basic, Medium, or Detailed.

Quick Overview

This section explores the nature, sources, and impacts of stress on psychological functioning and physical health.

Standard

The discussion includes how stress manifests in emotional, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses, as well as the General Adaptation Syndrome. It highlights the differences in responses to stress among individuals and emphasizes the importance of coping strategies and life skills in managing stress effectively for better health outcomes.

Detailed

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Audio Book

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General Effects of Stress

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What are the effects of stress? Many of the effects are physiological in nature, however, other changes also occur inside stressed individuals. There are four major effects of stress associated with the stressed state, viz. emotional, physiological, cognitive, and behavioural.

Detailed Explanation

Stress can have a significant impact on how we feel and function. There are four main ways that stress affects us:

  1. Emotional Effects: Stress often leads to mood swings and can result in feelings of anxiety, irritability, and depression. Individuals may alienate themselves from friends and family due to erratic behavior caused by stress.
  2. Physiological Effects: These are physical reactions in our bodies, such as increased production of stress hormones, which can lead to changes in heart rate and blood pressure.
  3. Cognitive Effects: High levels of stress can impair our ability to concentrate and remember things. This can lead to poor decision-making and increased errors in judgment.
  4. Behavioural Effects: Stress can alter our behavior, leading to changes such as withdrawal from social interactions, changes in eating habits, and increased use of substances like alcohol and cigarettes.

Examples & Analogies

Think of a car engine. When a car runs too hot because of stress, it can lead to overheating (similar to physiological stress in our bodies), resulting in performance issues (like cognitive effects) and causing strange sounds and behaviors (behaviors under stress). Just as you would keep an eye on a car engine for warning lights or performance issues, you should monitor your feelings and behaviors when stressed.

Emotional Effects of Stress

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Emotional Effects: Those who suffer from stress are far more likely to experience mood swings, and show erratic behaviour that may alienate them from family and friends. In some cases this can start a vicious circle of decreasing confidence, leading to more serious emotional problems. Some examples are feelings of anxiety and depression, increased physical tension, increased psychological tension and mood swings.

Detailed Explanation

When we are under stress, our emotions can go out of balance. Here’s how it works:

  • We may feel sudden shifts in our emotions, leading to mood swings. For instance, one moment we could be happy and the next we feel anxious or sad.
  • This emotional turmoil can make us act in ways that push friends and family away, which can create loneliness and make us feel worse.
  • As we feel worse, our confidence might drop; this cycle can spiral, leading to more profound emotional distress like severe anxiety or depression.

Examples & Analogies

Imagine a balloon filled with air. If you keep adding more air without letting some out, it becomes over-inflated and may eventually burst. Similarly, if we don’t find ways to express and deal with our growing stress, it can lead to emotional 'bursts' like outbursts of anger or sadness.

Physiological Effects of Stress

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Physiological Effects: When the human body is placed under physical or psychological stress, it increases the production of certain hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones will produce marked changes in heart rate, blood pressure levels, metabolism and physical activity.

Detailed Explanation

Physiological effects refer to the bodily responses we experience when under stress. During stressful situations, our body releases hormones:

  • Adrenaline: This hormone increases heart rate and blood flow to muscles, prepping the body for action, often referred to as the 'fight or flight' response.
  • Cortisol: Known as the stress hormone, it helps manage stress but also, when constant, may lead to health issues like high blood pressure or weakened immune response.
  • Continual activation of these hormones can lead to chronic health issues, as the body is not designed to be in a constant state of stress.

Examples & Analogies

Think of a fire alarm. When there's a fire, the alarm goes off, signaling you to act quickly. However, if the alarm rings consistently without a real fire, it becomes annoying and creates panic inside the house (just like stress does to our body). Regular stress responses keep 'emergency mode' engaged, which can strain our bodily systems over time.

Cognitive Effects of Stress

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Cognitive Effects: If pressures due to stress continue, one may suffer from mental overload. This suffering from high level of stress can rapidly cause individuals to lose their ability to make sound decisions. Faulty decisions made at home, in career, or at workplace may lead to arguments, failure, financial loss or even loss of job. Cognitive effects of stress are poor concentration, and reduced short-term memory capacity.

Detailed Explanation

Cognitive effects relate to how stress impacts our thinking and decision-making abilities. Under stress:

  • Our mind may feel overwhelmed, similar to trying to read a book while loud music plays in the background. This distraction harms our focus and reduces our short-term memory.
  • The pressure can lead us to make hasty or poor decisions that might cause conflict at home or at work or even be detrimental to our financial well-being.
  • The inability to concentrate can cause issues such as forgetting appointments or important tasks, further compounding feelings of stress and inadequacy.

Examples & Analogies

Imagine a computer that has too many programs running at once. It starts to slow down, and eventually, it might crash. Similarly, when our brains are overloaded with stress, they struggle to function effectively, leading to mistakes and forgetfulness.

Behavioural Effects of Stress

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Behavioural Effects: Stress affects our behaviour in the form of eating less nutritional food, increasing intake of stimulants such as caffeine, excessive consumption of cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs such as tranquillisers etc. Some of the typical behavioural effects of stress seen are disrupted sleep patterns, increased absenteeism, and reduced work performance.

Detailed Explanation

Behavioral effects illustrate how stress can change what we do:

  • Under stress, we might neglect healthy eating habits, preferring junk food or stimulants like caffeine that promise quick energy boosts but are unhealthy.
  • We may turn to alcohol or drugs to cope, seeking an escape from stress rather than addressing it directly, which can lead to addiction.
  • Stress can also disrupt sleep patterns; some people may find it difficult to sleep well, leading to tiredness during the day and decreased productivity at work or school.

Examples & Analogies

Consider a car that runs low on fuel. Instead of refilling with the right type of fuel, the driver begins pouring soda into the tank, thinking it might give the car energy. Initially, it might seem fine, but eventually, this will ruin the engine. In the same way, when we substitute healthy coping mechanisms with harmful habits, we may initially feel better, but it can cause damage over time.

Definitions & Key Concepts

Learn essential terms and foundational ideas that form the basis of the topic.

Key Concepts

  • Types of Stress: Eustress motivates us, while distress can lead to negative outcomes.

  • General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): Describes how stress affects our body in three stages: Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

  • Effects of Stress: Emotional, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes result from stress.

  • Coping Strategies: Techniques employed to manage stress effectively.

  • Social Support: The presence of friends and family aids in coping with stress.

Examples & Real-Life Applications

See how the concepts apply in real-world scenarios to understand their practical implications.

Examples

  • Preparing for a major competition can create eustress, motivating athletes to perform their best.

  • An unexpected illness in the family can create distress, leading to anxiety and overwhelming feelings.

Memory Aids

Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.

🎵 Rhymes Time

  • Stress can be good or tough, eustress keeps you strong and buff, distress can wear you down, so learn to wear a coping crown.

📖 Fascinating Stories

  • Imagine Sarah, preparing for a marathon. The excitement is eustress pushing her to train harder. But when her job demands increase and she feels overwhelmed; that’s distress. She learns to balance both with family support!

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • To remember the stages of GAS: A - Alarm, R - Resistance, E - Exhaustion. Just think of it as 'A Really Exciting' journey!

🎯 Super Acronyms

GAS

  • General Adaptation Syndrome. Recall it when discussing stress responses.

Flash Cards

Review key concepts with flashcards.

Glossary of Terms

Review the Definitions for terms.

  • Term: Eustress

    Definition:

    A positive form of stress that can motivate and enhance performance.

  • Term: Distress

    Definition:

    Negative stress that can lead to anxiety and decline in mental health.

  • Term: General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

    Definition:

    A model describing the body's response to stress in three stages: Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

  • Term: Coping Strategies

    Definition:

    Methods employed to manage stress and its effects.

  • Term: Resilience

    Definition:

    The ability to bounce back and adapt in the face of adversity.

  • Term: Social Support

    Definition:

    The perceived comfort, care, and assistance provided by family, friends, or community.