PSYC 235 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Hans Selye, Stressor

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 235
• Professor: Dean A Tripp

Document Summary

Psychological and social factors influence health in two distinct and related ways. Psychological and social factors can affect the basis biological processes that lead to illness and disease. Long standing behaviour patters may put people at risk to develop certain physical diseases. Aids is an example that is influenced by psychological factors (stress) and behaviour patterns (lifestyle choices) Stress is the psychological factor receiving the greatest amount of attention. Hans sel(cid:455)e"s earl(cid:455) experimental work with rats led to the area of study known as stress physiology. Selye noted that daily injection of substances to rats was sufficiently stressful to cause ulcers and atrophy of the immune system tissues. The term stress is referred to in this chapter as a physiological response of an individual to a stressor. Stress is both a psychological and biological factor. If (cid:455)ou do(cid:374)"t see (cid:271)iologi(cid:272)al fa(cid:272)tors as (cid:449)orr(cid:455)i(cid:374)g, (cid:455)ou (cid:449)o(cid:374)"t ha(cid:448)e stress; ps(cid:455)(cid:272)hological appraisal.