General Adaptation Syndrome

Approach-Approach Conflict: conflict when a person must choose between 2 desirable goals "win-win situation" ex. Only go to italty or england Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict: conflict when a person must choose between 2 undesirable goals "caught between a rock and a hard pplace"or "lose-lose situation" delayed decisions ex. Dislike cleaning bath or kitchen Approach-Avoidance Conflict: conflict when a person must choose or not choose a goal that has both positive and negative aspects ex. Marriage or pet Double Approach-Avoidance Conflict: conflict when a person must decide between 2 goals, with each having positive and negative aspects ● ex. Country or city (nice views or commute) ● Leads to vaciliation (indecision) Multiple Approach-Avoidance Conflict: conflict when a person must decide between more than 2 goals, with each goal possesing both positive and negative aspects ● Ex. Colelge close to home or far away (friends, cost, academics, jobs, family all play into account for the decision) General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) Hans Selye: 3 stages of the body's psychological reaction to stress. Connected stress and certain diseases of adaptations (high BP and peptic ulcers) ● Alarm: body first reacts to stressor. Sympathetic nervous system activates. Adrenal glands release hormones that increase heart rate, blood pressure, energy. Fever, nausea, headache ● Resistance: Body settles into sympathetic, stress hormone release to help body fight off or resist. Continues until stressor ends or use all its resources. Noradrenaline (norephinphrine) affects brain pain processing so under stress, experience analgesia (insensitivity to pain) ● Exhustion: when all resources are used. Formation of stress-related diseases (high BP, weakened immune system) or death if no help. When stressor ends, parasympathietc activates and body attempts to replenish its resources Immune System: system of cells, organs, and chemicals of the body that responds to attacks from diseases, infections, and injuries Psychoneuroimmunology: study of the effects of psychological factors such as stress, emotions, thoughts, and behavior on the immune system ● Maier and Watkins: same response in the immune system that infection triggers as stress ● Certain enzymes and chemicals (antibodies) are created by immune cells during infection ○ White blood cell surrounds bacteria and releases chemicals and enzymes into the bloodstream. Chemicals activate receptor sites on the vagus nerve that signals the brain that the body is sick and thus further activation of the immune system ○ Stress activates the same system but starts in the brain instead of the bloodstream. Same chemical changes in brain when alerted by vagus nerve to infection when rats had shocks ■ "Priming" the immune system - more successfully resist the effects of stress ○ Morgan: hormones help the immune system fight stress effects, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for antistress benefits and stress tolerance by regulating the stress effects on the hippocampus ● Positives Effects of stress on immune system only when it’s not continual, chronic ○ Body's resources fail during stress exhaustion ○ Deinzer study: college students with exams vs no classes or exams. Exam group had less immune system chemicals to fight off diseases. Suppression of immune system can continue after stress is over ○ Stress reaction (evolutionary) for running from a predator short-term. Intense stress isn’t designed for long periods which breaks down immune system ● Inflammatory response: when tissues of the body are injured by infections, heat, toxic substances, physical injury. Damaged cells release chemicals that cause blood vessels to leak fluids to the surrounding tissues -> inflammation, which acts to invade substances and access to other body tissues ○ Inflammation is where stress has its negative impact on health ○ Cohen Study: people under stress are more likely to catch cold. Prolonged stress can cause cortisol (less effective in controlling inflammation response) This increases the inflammatory response, increasing likelihood to catch cold when exposed. Prolonged stress decreases regulating inflammation -> arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer