Join with a free account for more service, or become a member for full access to exclusives and extra support of WorldSupporter >>
Chapter 13: Why is Psychological Stress Stressful?
Some psychological factors can trigger a stress-response on their own or make another stressor seem more stressful.
Outlet
Experiment of Jay Weiss: rats that are under stress who are given an outlet for their frustration are less likely to get ulcers than stressed rats who are not given an outlet.
- An outlet provides relief and distraction for humans too. E.g.: exercise, hobbies...
Social support
- If you are under stress in a room full of strangers -->you get more stressed
- If you are stressed in a room full of friends --> you get less stressed
- Within the same family, there are significantly higher glucocorticoid levels among stepchildren than among biological children
- If you are a member of an ethnic minority, the fewer members there are of your group in your neighborhood, the higher your risks of mental illness, psychiatric hospitalization, and suicide
Predictability
- By being given news about the stressor to come, you are also implicitly being comforted by now knowing what stressors are not coming
- Organisms will eventually habituate to a stressor if it is applied over and over
- There are circumstances in which a stress-response can be more likely to occur in someone despite the reality that the outside world is less stressful
- During the Nazi bombings of England, London was hit every night at the same time. The suburbs were hit randomly, but much less frequently (max once a week). The people in the suburbs developed more ulcers due to the unpredictability of the bombings.
- Being able to predict future events helps us feel like we’re in control and we can strategize
Control
- Airplanes are safer than cars, yet we tend to feel more stressed in planes. This is because we have no control.
- Let someone run voluntarily, and they feel great. Force someone the same amount, and they get a massive stress-response.
- The link between occupational stress and increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases is due to the combination of high demand and low control
A perception of things worsening
- If a rat is used to getting 50 shocks a day and another rat is used to getting 10 shocks a day, the latter will become much more stressed than the former if one day it receives 25 shocks
Some subtleties of predictability
- Information either just before or long before the stressor does little good to alleviate the psychological anticipation
- Predictive information can make things worse if the information is vague
Subtleties of control
- An inappropriate sense of control can make us feel terrible (e.g.: “your child’s schizophrenia was caused by your mothering style”)
- People with a strong internal locus of control have far greater stress-responses than do those with external loci when confronted with something uncontrollabe
Resources: Sapolsky, R. Why zebras don’t get ulcers: The acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping. New York (NY): Henry Holt and Company. 2004 3rd edition
Stress, health and disease: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky - Bundle
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (ch1)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch2)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch3)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch4)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch5)
- Stress, Health & Disease- Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch8)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch13)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch15)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch17)
- Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch18)
Contributions: posts
Spotlight: topics
Stress, health and disease: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky - Bundle
Chapter summaries from the book: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky. Only chapters that are required to be read (according to syllabus) will be included
Online access to all summaries, study notes en practice exams
- Check out: Register with JoHo WorldSupporter: starting page (EN)
- Check out: Aanmelden bij JoHo WorldSupporter - startpagina (NL)
How and why use WorldSupporter.org for your summaries and study assistance?
- For free use of many of the summaries and study aids provided or collected by your fellow students.
- For free use of many of the lecture and study group notes, exam questions and practice questions.
- For use of all exclusive summaries and study assistance for those who are member with JoHo WorldSupporter with online access
- For compiling your own materials and contributions with relevant study help
- For sharing and finding relevant and interesting summaries, documents, notes, blogs, tips, videos, discussions, activities, recipes, side jobs and more.
Using and finding summaries, notes and practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter
There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.
- Use the summaries home pages for your study or field of study
- Use the check and search pages for summaries and study aids by field of study, subject or faculty
- Use and follow your (study) organization
- by using your own student organization as a starting point, and continuing to follow it, easily discover which study materials are relevant to you
- this option is only available through partner organizations
- Check or follow authors or other WorldSupporters
- Use the menu above each page to go to the main theme pages for summaries
- Theme pages can be found for international studies as well as Dutch studies
Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?
- Check out: Why and how to add a WorldSupporter contributions
- JoHo members: JoHo WorldSupporter members can share content directly and have access to all content: Join JoHo and become a JoHo member
- Non-members: When you are not a member you do not have full access, but if you want to share your own content with others you can fill out the contact form
Quicklinks to fields of study for summaries and study assistance
Main summaries home pages:
- Business organization and economics - Communication and marketing -International relations and international organizations - IT, logistics and technology - Law and administration - Leisure, sports and tourism - Medicine and healthcare - Pedagogy and educational science - Psychology and behavioral sciences - Society, culture and arts - Statistics and research
- Summaries: the best textbooks summarized per field of study
- Summaries: the best scientific articles summarized per field of study
- Summaries: the best definitions, descriptions and lists of terms per field of study
- Exams: home page for exams, exam tips and study tips
Main study fields:
Business organization and economics, Communication & Marketing, Education & Pedagogic Sciences, International Relations and Politics, IT and Technology, Law & Administration, Medicine & Health Care, Nature & Environmental Sciences, Psychology and behavioral sciences, Science and academic Research, Society & Culture, Tourisme & Sports
Main study fields NL:
- Studies: Bedrijfskunde en economie, communicatie en marketing, geneeskunde en gezondheidszorg, internationale studies en betrekkingen, IT, Logistiek en technologie, maatschappij, cultuur en sociale studies, pedagogiek en onderwijskunde, rechten en bestuurskunde, statistiek, onderzoeksmethoden en SPSS
- Studie instellingen: Maatschappij: ISW in Utrecht - Pedagogiek: Groningen, Leiden , Utrecht - Psychologie: Amsterdam, Leiden, Nijmegen, Twente, Utrecht - Recht: Arresten en jurisprudentie, Groningen, Leiden
JoHo can really use your help! Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world
4465 | 1 |
Add new contribution