Psychology 2036A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Psychological Resilience, Optimism, Explanatory Style

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2036A/B
• Professor: Doug Hazlewood

Document Summary

Characteristics can be a result of genes and environmental factors: characteristics that make stressful situations worse = risk factors, those that improve the situation = internal coping resources, ^ resilience. Some people are predisposed by personalities to experience stressful events more powerfully, affects psychological distress, physical symptoms, and illness. Psychological state: negative affectivity = a pervasive negative mood marked by anxiety, Coping process depression, and hostility: high negative affectivity (neuroticism) More prone to have genetic markers linked to alc dependence, depression, ^ risk of suicide. Related to poor health ex. have ^ risk of chronic disease, have disease-prone personalities, esp. if you have family history of illness. Negative affectivity associated w elevated cholesterol secretion: also linked to higher risk for mortality in old age. Pessimism: relatively stable dispositional characteristics to expect negative outcomes, others view it as an explanatory style that can be learned.