PSYO 1012 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Allostasis, Brainstem, Modified-Release Dosage
4 Jul 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Lesson 10: Stress & Health
Chapter 12
Define and give examples of stress
Stress: occurs when a situation overwhelms a person’s perceived ability to meet the demands of
that situation.
-Is a part of a dynamic interplay between people’s interpretation of events in their lives
and their reactions to those interpretations.
-Stress can be external to us and is something that happens to us.
-Stressors: the events that push us to the limit or exceed our ability to manage the
situation at hand.
-Stimulus view of stress: is the focus on the situations that cause stress.
-Response view of stress: focuses on the physiological changes that occur when someone
encounters an excessively challenging situation.
-Stress can be internal and something that we feel.
-Relational view of stress: holds that stress is a particular relationship between the people
and the situations in which they find themselves.
-Systematic stressors: those that pose a direct physical threat to survival, such as injury
or lack of oxygen.
-Processive stressors: psychological in nature and do not pose a direct threat to survival
and are associated with threats based on an individual’s prior experience such as financial
troubles or relationship difficulties.
oTend to persist for a longer period of time and have a significant impact upon
health and well-being.
-The SRRS was developed to quantify stress in terms of major life changes and consists of
43 events that might be considered life-changing.
oThey are easy to administer and score
oIt ignores the fact that people view similar events differently and fails to consider
differences in people’s emotional responses to stressors.
-The Hassles and Uplifts scale measures the frequency and intensity of minor irritations
and positive events of daily life.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
oSome data indicate that hassles are more strongly related to health outcomes than
major life events.
-A major limitation to measuring both major life events and hassles is that not all people
view situations in the same way.
-It is misleading to examine stress solely in terms of the situations that may call it forth, it
is essential to look at the person in relation to the situation.
-Primary appraisal: is an assessment of what a situation means to us.
oThe outcome of this appraisal determines whether an emotional response might
occur.
oIf we consider it personally relevant, we appraise its significance as either
contrary to or consistent with our goals or welfare.
-Even though both pleasant and unpleasant events might lead to stress, stress emerges
from negative emotional responses to events that we cannot get under control.
-Secondary appraisal: an assessment of the resources available to cope with stress.
Describe and list the hormones released from the adrenal glands and
the neuroendocrine pathways activated by stress
-Stressful situations lead to negative emotions and physiological changes occur in the
autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system, and the brain.
-The sympathetic division of the ANS mediates arousal and action in the face of threat, so
it plays a crucial role in response to stress.
oMade up of neurons that influence organs and glands, and its activation has
widespread effects physiology.
-Hormones: chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream to tissues and
organs all over the body and regulate body functions.
oStrongly influence the body.
oPlay a crucial role in regulating metabolism, growth, reproduction, mood, and
other processes.
oEndocrine system controls the release of hormones.
-The thyroid gland: sits in the neck and releases hormones that control the rate of
metabolism.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-The pancreas: releases hormones that play a vital role in regulating the blood sugar
levels.
-The sex glands: release sex hormones that lead to the development of sex characteristics,
sex drive, and other aspects of sexual maturation.
-The limbic system: controls the emotional states and can have profound effects on the
release of certain types of hormones.
oHas strong connections with the endocrine system, especially the hypothalamus.
oIt controls the pituitary gland which secretes hormones that control the release of
hormones from glands elsewhere in the body.
-The neuroendocrine system: refers to hormonal systems whose activity is regulated by
the nervous system.
oKey structures involved in the regulation of stress responses include the
hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands.
-The hypothalamus: the site of unique neurons known as neurosecretory cells, who
terminals release their chemical messengers into bloodstream rather than into a synapse.
oServes as a major link between the nervous system and the parts of the endocrine
system relevant to emotions
oIt releases chemicals that stimulate the release of hormones from the pituitary
gland and it is connected to brain stem structures that control the ANS.
oWhen activated by an emotional event, the hypothalamus initiates a series of
endocrine events that have a profound effect on the body.
Two major pathways are stimulated
the adrenal-medullary system: the hypothalamus sends
instructions to the brain stem to activate sympathetic neurons. The
sympathetic neurons tell the adrenal gland to release the
catecholamine (norepinephrine) which activates the sympathetic
response of increasing the heart rate, rate of respiration, and blood
pressure to support rapid action by the body.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: the hypothalamus releases
substances called releasing factors which tell the pituitary when to
release various hormones. During emotional arousal and stress, the
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Stress: occurs when a situation overwhelms a person"s perceived ability to meet the demands of that situation. Is a part of a dynamic interplay between people"s interpretation of events in their lives and their reactions to those interpretations. Stress can be external to us and is something that happens to us. Stressors: the events that push us to the limit or exceed our ability to manage the situation at hand. Stimulus view of stress: is the focus on the situations that cause stress. Response view of stress: focuses on the physiological changes that occur when someone encounters an excessively challenging situation. Stress can be internal and something that we feel. Relational view of stress: holds that stress is a particular relationship between the people and the situations in which they find themselves. Systematic stressors: those that pose a direct physical threat to survival, such as injury or lack of oxygen.
