CHAPTER 13
Health, Stress, and Coping

1. Define health psychology. List the objectives of health psychologists. (see Health Psychology)
   
   
2. Define stress and stressors. Give examples of stressors. Be sure to include a catastrophic event, a life change or strain, chronic stress, and a daily hassle. (see Stress and Stressors)
   
   
3. Describe the Social Readjustment Rating Scale and the Life Experiences Survey. Explain how they are used to measure stress. (see Measuring Stressors)
   
   
4. Define general adaptation syndrome. Describe the three stages in this syndrome, and discuss the physiological processes underlying it. Define disease of adaptation. (see The General Adaptation Syndrome)
   
   
5. Discuss the major criticisms of Selye's model. (see Psychological Responses)
   
   
6. Describe some common emotional, cognitive, and behavioral stress responses. Explain how ruminative thinking, catastrophizing, mental sets, and functional fixedness are linked to stress. (see Psychological Responses)
   
   
7. Define burnout and posttraumatic stress disorder, and describe the conditions that can lead to both. (see Linkages: Stress and Psychological Disorders)
   
   
8. Explain why the appraisal of stressors, their predictability, and a feeling of control can reduce the impact of stressors. (see How Stressors Are Perceived; see also Predictability and Control)
   
   
9. Discuss the role of coping resources and methods in combating stress. Give examples of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. (see Coping Resources and Coping Methods)
   
   
10. Describe the effects of social support networks on the impact of stressful events. (see Social Support)
    
    
11. Describe disease-resistant and disease-prone personalities. Define dispositional optimism. Discuss the quasi-experimental research on the relationship between personality and health. (see Stress, Personality, and Gender; see also Focus on Research Methods: Personality and Health)
    
    
12. Define psychoneuroimmunology. (see Stress, Illness, and the Immune System)
    
    
13. Describe the components of the immune system. Discuss the relationship among the immune system, the nervous system, the endocrine system, and stress. (see Stress, Illness, and the Immune System)
    
    
14. Define hostility and outline the evidence relating hostility to heart disease. (see Stress, Illness, and the Cardiovascular System; see also Thinking Critically: Does Hostility Increase the Risk of Heart Disease?)
    
    
15. List the health-endangering behaviors described in your textbook. (see Risking Your Life: Health-Endangering Behaviors)
    
    
16. Define health promotion. Describe the four factors in Rosenstock's health-belief model. Explain the role of self-efficacy in altering behavioral health risks. (see Promoting Healthy Behavior)
    
    
17. Describe the five stages in changing behavioral health risks. (see Changing Health Behaviors: Stages of Readiness)
    
    
18. List the steps in a stress-coping program. Explain the importance of being able to recognize the difference between a changeable and a nonchangeable stressor. (see Programs for Coping with Stress and Promoting Health)
    
    
19. Describe cognitive coping strategies. Define cognitive restructuring. (see Developing Coping Strategies)
    
    
20. Describe some emotional and behavioral coping strategies. (see Developing Coping Strategies)
    
    
21. Describe physical coping strategies. Explain the possible problems of using drugs to alter stress or stress responses. Explain how progressive relaxation training can help people cope. (see Developing Coping Strategies)