Stress

Announcements
Next exam is December 6
Study guide posted!
35 multiple-choice questions covering development (Ch 9), social
psychology (Ch 12), motivation/self (10.1 and 11.4), stress (14),
and psychological disorders (15, 16.1)
Office hours/review
Eli hosting review session
Dr. Richey has hours M/W at 1-2:30 (3407 Sennott Square); also
on Zoom on Wednesdays
Pick up index card if you need one
Extra credit
OMET surveys are open now through Sunday, Dec. 10
I want your feedback!
2 extra points added to exam if we reach 50% participation
(equivalent to a little less than 1 question)
4 extra points added to exam if we reach 75% participation
(equivalent to about 1.5 questions)
Today’s overview
The self (10.1/11.4)
Locus of control
Self-efficacy
Stress (14.1, 14.4, 14.5)
Health Psychology (guest lecture!)
Locus of control
External: Events in life happen to you, little you can do
Getting a good job depends mainly on being in the right place at the right time.
This world is run by the few people in power; there’s not much the average
person can do about it.
It is not always wise to plan too far ahead because many things turn out to be a
matter of luck anyway.
Internal (high number): Events in life directly reflect your behaviors
Becoming a success is a matter of hard work; luck has little or nothing to do with
it.
The average citizen can have an influence on government decisions.
When I make plans, I am almost certain that I can make them work.
Some studies show internal locus correlated with just-world beliefs
Locus of control
External: More sympathetic to misfortune
More likely to view others’ troubles as reflection of outside forces,
not their own bad choices
Internal: More proactive behaviors
Manage stress
Manage health (floss teeth, use birth control)
Manage safety (use seat belts consistently, respond to tornado
warnings)
Locus of control
Culture, experience influence which is considered “better” in
certain context
Benefits to considering other perspective
If more external, emphasizing internal locus can help you be more
proactive (e.g., more proactive health care rather than feeling like
getting sick is out of your control)
If more internal, emphasizing external locus can help you be more
empathetic (e.g., be mindful of factors out of people’s control
when evaluating others)
Self-efficacy
Confidence in your own ability to achieve specific, positive outcome
Domain, context, task specific
You can have high self-efficacy in math but not science
You can have high self-efficacy on developmental psych topics but not research
methods topics
Typically measured by survey targeting specific context, topics, skills
What it does
Predicts achievement outcomes, even when controlling for prior knowledge
Two students with the same previous math scores; student with higher self-efficacy likely to do
better on future tests
Predicts future classes in an area or discipline, career choices
Self-efficacy in ability to regulate behavior predicts better strategy use, persistence,
intrinsic motivation
Self-efficacy and math scores
Self-efficacy
How do you get self-efficacy?
1. Prior experiences of success: I did it!
2. Seeing someone model task: They did it (and they’re a lot like
me!)
3. Verbal persuasion: You can do it!
4. Physiological states: I feel like I can do it!
Proposed by Bandura, from the observational learning/Bobo Doll
study
Implications for learning
Build in opportunities for learners to succeed
Think back to Piaget and Vygotsky: make things appropriately
challenging
Scaffold or support to give students tasks that they can
accomplish
If learners can’t do something yet on their own, model the success
for them
Think back to observational learning, Bobo doll
Today’s overview
The self (10.1/11.4)
Locus of control
Self-efficacy
Stress (14.1, 14.4, 14.5)
Health Psychology (guest lecture!)
Stress
A variety of unpleasant feeling states (e.g., frustrated, angry, conflicted,
overwhelmed, or fatigued)
Stimulus-based definitions: stress is a demanding or threatening
event/situation (e.g., high-stress job).
Characterizes stress as an external pressure that causes certain reactions
Fails to recognize that people differ in how they view/react to challenging
situations
Response-based definitions: stress is physiological response to demanding
or threatening situations.
Characterizes stress as a physiological reaction
Fails to recognize that same physiological behaviors (elevated heart rate, sweat)
can occur in response to non-stressors, still missing cognitive component
Cognitive appraisals of stress
Stress – a process of perceiving and responding to events appraised
as overwhelming or threatening to well-being.
Emphasizes how we appraise (judge) events and the effect on our
reaction.
Cognitive appraisals of stress
Primary appraisal – judgement about
potential harm of stressor
Threat – stressor could cause harm,
negative consequences.
Challenge – stressor has potential for
gain/personal growth.
Graduating from college could be viewed
as either a threat (loss of familiar setting,
potential for financial instability) or a
challenge (opportunity for independence
and growth)
Secondary appraisal – judgement about
options to deal with stressor
Threat is less stressful if we believe
something can be done about it
Good stress?
Eustress - Stress that can
be positive and motivate
us
Associated with positive
feelings, optimal health,
and performance
Distress - ”Bad” stress,
causes people to feel
burned out, (fatigued and
exhausted), hurts
performance
Sources of Stress
Subjective to some degree
Different people find different things stressful
Still some typical sources:
Frustration-can't satisfy motive
Pressure-threats of negative events
Conflict
Life events – even good ones!
Effects of stress
Stress can evoke a variety of responses including:
Physiological – accelerated heart rate, headaches, or gastrointestinal
problems.
Cognitive – difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
Behavioral – drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking actions directed at
eliminating the cause of stress
Prevalence of stress
In 2013, nearly half of all adults reported higher levels of stress
over the past five years
During the pandemic, stress levels increased, especially for Gen Z
Need more data on stress levels post-pandemic
Cohen & Janicki-Deverts (2
General Adaptation Syndrome
Alarm: “Fight or flight,”
Non-essential functions inhibited, very
alert, physiological reactions provide
energy to manage situation
Resistance: Settling in for long haul
Try to balance periods of rest and
arousal; adjusted to stressor but
remains alert and ready to respond
Both suffer(not getting sufficient rest
and not as prepared to respond
Exhaustion
Resources depleted; can no longer
adapt to stressor
Physical wear on body, associated with
risk of illness, disease, and death
Long-term stress
Long-term effects of cortisol:
Weakened immune system
Loss of neurons
Memory problems
Abnormal sleep patterns
Depression
Prenatal exposure associated with higher reactivity in children
Coping with stress
Problem-focused
Positive: Develop strategies to address problem
Negative: Avoid problem
Emotion-focused
Positive: Share emotions, try to change emotions
Negative: Using unhealthy means of emotional regulation
Relationship-focused
Positive: Empathy, support, positive interactions
Negative: Blame, withdrawal, negative confrontation
Managing stress
Address or eliminate stressors when possible
Reappraise stressors as challenges rather than threats (primary
appraisal level)
Establish sense of control (secondary appraisal level)
Become informed
Identify strategies and tools
Exercise
Mindfulness
Getting help
Student Counseling Center
412-648-7930
Nordenberg Hall Wellness Center
Pitt Student Health Services
412-383-1800
Nordenberg Hall Wellness Center
Stress-Free Zone
3rd Floor William Pitt Union
sfz@pitt.edu