PSYC 1103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Natural Disaster, Homeostasis, Negative Affectivity
Document Summary
Stress: some disruption in a person"s typical functioning, physical or psychological (disruption from homeostasis) Catastrophic event (e. g. mass shooting, natural disaster) Conflict (e. g. arguments with friends or family) Chronic strain (e. g. living away from home for a long time, living with a disability) Psychological responses : internal, more difficult to assess. Strained facial expression, posture change, clenched fist. May become long lasting if stress is chronic. Cognitive responses : difficulty focusing, memory loss, catastrophizing. May also become long lasting if stress is chronic. Alarm stage : initial activation of nervous system and adrenal glands, fight or flight reaction. Resistance stage : increased production of steroids for short term energy. Beneficial in the short term, but has negative impact if long-lasting. Exhaustion stage : final rallying of defenses followed by breakdown, release of energy. Acute stress is beneficial in the short term allows us to react properly to dangerous situations. Stress is enjoyable in moderate amounts, if it is: