Psychology 2035A/B Chapter Notes -Road Rage, Acculturation, Sympathetic Nervous System

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2035A/B
• Professor: Doug Hazlewood

Document Summary

Stress is any circumstance that threatens or is perceived to threaten one"s well-being and thereby taxes one"s coping abilities. One-third of americans surveyed reported living with extreme stress , and nearly half believed that their stress had increased over the past 5 years . A major stressful event, such as going through a divorce, can trigger a cascade of minor stressors, such as looking for an attorney, taking on new household responsibilities, and so forth. Stressful events can have a cumulative or additive impact. Certain personal characteristics such as resilience and optimism can buffer the distressing effects of daily hassles: hassles that evoke strong negative emotions are the ones most related to stress. Perceiving a situation as threatening elicits negative emotions. Primary appraisal is an initial evaluation of whether an event is 1) irrelevant to you, 2) relevant but not threatening, or 3) stressful. Secondary appraisal is an evaluation of your coping resources and options for dealing with stress.