Psychology 1000 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Endorphins, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing
3 Jun 2018
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Coping with Stress
• Coping strategies when faced with a stressor can be divided into three classes:
o Problem focused coping – attempt to confront and deal directly with demands of
the situation, or change the situation so that it is no longer stressful (Examples:
studying for a test, going directly to another person to work out a
misunderstanding, etc.)
o Emotion focused coping – attempt to manage the emotional responses that
result from it (Examples: appraising the situation in a manner that minimizes the
emotional impact, avoidance or acceptance of the stressful situation)
o Seeking social support – turning to others for assistance and emotional support
in times of stress
• Problem focused coping and seeking social support often demonstrate favorable
adjustment in stressors, while emotion focused coping often predict depression and
poor adjustment
• In hostage studies, problem focused coping and seeking social support fare better than
those with no strategy, but emotion focused coping was found to help individuals adapt
most to uncontrollable conditions of captivity
• People with high stress who are too emotionally restrained to express negative feelings
have a higher likelihood of developing cancer
• Men are more likely to use problem focused coping, while women often seek social
support and use emotion focused coping
Pain and Pain Management
• Biological Mechanisms of Pain
o Gate control theory – the experience of pain results from the opening and
closing of “gating mechanisms” in the nervous system
▪ Sensations from two types of sensory fibres enter the spinal cord, and
activate neurons that travel up toward the brain regions responsible for
our perception of pain
▪ Thin fibres carry sharp pain impulses, thick fibres carry dull pain
information
▪ Experience of pain depends on ratio of thin-to-thick fibre transmission
▪ Thin fibre activity opens spinal cord “gates”, while thick fibre activity
closes them
• rubbing a bruise or scratching an itch stimulate thick fibres, and
produce relief
• acupuncture may stimulate mostly thick fibres, causing pain relief
o Endorphins – natural opiate-like substances that are involved in pain reduction
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PSYCH 1000 Full Course Notes
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