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stress
a negative emotional state occurring in response to events that are perceived as taxing or exceeding a person's resources or ability to cope.
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health psychology
the branch of psychology that studies how biological, behavioral, and social factors influence health, illness, medical treatment, and health-related behaviors.
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biopsychosocial model
the belief that physical health and illness are determined by the complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.
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stressors
events or situations that are perceived as harmful, threatening, or challenging.
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daily hassles
everyday minor events that annoy and upset people.
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conflict
a situation in which a person feels pulled between two or more opposing desires, motives, or goals.
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acculturative stress
the stress that results from the pressure of adapting to a new culture.
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fight or flight response
a rapidly occurring chain of internal physical reactions that prepare people either to fight or take flight from an immediate threat.
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catecholamines
hormones secreted by the adrenal medulla that cause rapid physiological arousal; include adrenaline and noradrenaline.
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general adaptation syndrome
Selye's term for the three-stage progression of physical changes that occur when an organism is exposed to intense and prolonged stress. The three stages are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
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corticosteroids
hormones released by the adrenal cortex that play a key role in the body's response to long-term stressors.
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immune system
body system that produces specialized white blood cells that protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and tumor cells.
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lymphocytes
specialized white blood cells that are responsible for immune defenses.
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psychoneuroimmunology
an interdisciplinary field that studies the interconnections among psychological processes, nervous and endocrine system functions, and the immune system.
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optimistic explanatory style
accounting for negative events or situations with external, unstable, and specific explanations.
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pessimistic explanatory style
accounting for negative events or situations with internal, stable, and global expectations.
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Type A behavior pattern
a behavioral and emotional style characterized by a sense of time urgency, hostility, and competitiveness.
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social support
the resources provided by other people in times of need.
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coping
behavioral and cognitive responses used to deal with stressors; involves our effeorts to change circumstances, to our interpretation of circumstances, to make them more favorable and less threatening.
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problem-focused coping
coping efforts primarily aimed at directly changing or managing a threatening or harmful stressor.
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emotion-focused coping
coping efforts primarily aimed at relieving or regulating the emotional impact of a stressful situation.
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