Stress and Health Consequences

nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it

• body reaction to change in person's life
• includes all kinds of changes, even pleasant changes

• bodys rxn to any threat
• progressed thru 3 stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

brief period of high arousal of the sympathetic nervous system, readying the body for vigorous activity

• a stage of prolonged but moderate arousal
• adrenal cortex secrete hormones that enable body to maintain high steady levels of activity, heal wounds, and fight inflections

characterized by weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, and lack of interest

an event or events that are interpreted as threatening to an individual and which elicit physiological and behavioral changes

the tendency of many body variables to remain nearly constant over time

adaptive changes in the way the body regulates its level of various chemicals and activites in the face of some threat or change in the environment

the aggregate cost from an excessive or prolonged response to a threat

composed of hypothalamus, pitutary gland, and adrenal cortex

hypo –> anterior piturtary –> release ACTH –> adrenal corext –> cortisol

enhances metabolism and increases availablitiy of fuels

family of mechanisms that defend against bacteria, viruses, tumors, and other invaders

• white blood cells
• diff. types: B cell, T cell, and natural killer cells

• mature in bone marrow
• make antibodies

a Y-shaped protein that attaches specifically to one kind of antigen

proteins on the surface of the cell

• mature in the thalamus gland
• attack intruders
• help other T cells
• help B cells multiply

• attack tumor cells and cell that are infected with viruses
• attack a wide variety of intruders

• marked by competitiveness, impatience, and hostility
• no relationship btn heart disease and the competitive, success seeking of Type A personality.
• however, perhaps for hostility