Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Survivor Guilt, Adrenal Medulla, Sympathetic Nervous System

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Stress: pattern of physiological, behavioral, emotional and cognitive repsonses to real or imagined stimuli that are perceived as blocking a goal or endangering our well being, stressor -> intervening factors -> stress reaction. Stressors include catastrophes, life changes and hassles. Intervening factors include appraisal, perceived control, personality, social support, coping. Sense stressor: sympathetic nervous system has adrenal medulla pouring adrenaline into your bloodstream, signal to hypothalamus, anterior pituitary dumps cortisol into bloodstream alongside the adrenaline. Cortisol: effects similar to epinephrine, coverts protein to glucose, makes fats available for energy, almost every cell in body has receptor for glucocorticosteriods. Immune system: stress can supress the immune system, making the person more vulnerable. Stress results in release of glucocorticoids which directly supresses the action of white blood cells: support. Rats faced with inescapable shock showed a decrease in lymphocyte production. Husbands show decreased immune response after wife"s death.