PSYC1023 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Bad Life, Hans Selye, Learned Helplessness
Document Summary
Stress: circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one"s well-being and ability to cope. The person perceives the threat, it is a subjective element. Stress includes major catastrophes like fires and minor hassles like waiting in line. Stress is cumulative, it tends to add up. The concept of learned helplessness uncontrollable offence leads to this. Men and women report differences in experienced stress. Men experience serious auto accidents, being a witness to severe injury and death more than women. Women experience sexual molestation before 18 and rape more than men. Men and women experience physical attack, natural disasters, robbery and hold up at similar rates. Life changes can also create stress the holms-rahe scale. The person circles each stress that was experienced in the past year. All scores are then added together and a total score is obtained. Notice all life changes including positive changes can elicit stress. People with higher scores experience more health problems.
