PSYCH101 Chapter 14.2: Module 14.2 - Stress & Illness

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Paul Wehr

Document Summary

Stress a psychological and physiological reaction that occurs when perceived demands exceed existing resources to meet those demands. Refers to both events (stressors) and experiences in response to these events (the stress response) Can take a wide variety of forms. Acute events giving a speech, experiencing an assault etc) Chronic events illness, marital problems, job-related challenges. Appraisal refers to the cognitive act of assessing and evaluating the potential threat and demands of an event. Threats can be physical or psychosocial: if the answer is no she will not experience any stress, if the answer is yes, she will experience a physiological stress response as well as an emotional reaction. Physiological stress response e. g. , a racing heart beat, sweaty palms. In the workplace long hours, high work demands, safety concerns, and interpersonal relationships. Life changes marital difficulties, birth of a child, death of a family member. As rating (number of points) increases, likelihood of becoming ill increases.