In the United States, cultural perceptions of mental illness often lead to social stigma. In your opinion, how does the media contribute to these perceptions? Name two recommendations that you would make to the media to combat the way they contribute to the perceptions you named.
Comment on 2 of your classmate’s reflections. If you agree or disagree with their stance justify your thoughts in your response.
Chapter 2
Psychological Health
The Basics of Psychological Health
• Psychological health—the ability to deal effectively
with the psychological challenges of life.
– Becomes more positive or negative as one responds
to a constantly changing environment
– The quality of one’s psychological health often
affects other components of health, such as social,
spiritual, and physical health.
Characteristics of Psychologically
Healthy People
Influences on Psychological
Health
• Our nervous system
– Central nervous system
– Peripheral nervous system
• Our mind
– Collective parts of our brain
• Our personality
Personality
• A set of distinct thoughts and behaviors, including
emotional responses, that characterize how one
responds to situations
• Our temperament is the predictable way a person
responds to the environment.
Influences on Personality
• Many factors influence personality:
– Biological
– Cultural
– Social
– Psychological forces
– Interactions with family members
– Learning from experiences
Freud’s Framework of Personality
• The unconscious mind influences behaviors.
• Defense mechanisms are ways of thinking and
behaving that reduce or eliminate anxiety and guilt by
altering a person’s perceptions of reality.
• Defense mechanisms protect the mind against
psychological conflicts and threats.
Common Defense Mechanisms
Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of
Personality Development
• Social influences shape
personality.
• Individuals progress
through stages.
• Emotional well-being is
achieved through conflict
resolution.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs
• Behavior is value driven.
• Human have basic biological
and complex psychological
needs.
• Personality development is
driven by the need to achieve
psychological fulfillment or
self-actualization.
Adjustment and Growth
• Psychological adjustment—adjusting to life demand or
stressors.
• Psychological growth—occurs when a person learns
that certain adjustment strategies enhance his or her
sense of freedom and control over self and the
environment.
Adjustment and Growth
• Interpersonal conflicts can hinder psychological
adjustment and growth.
– Aggressive reactions often injure others physically
or emotionally.
– Assertive reactions maintain one’s rights without
interfering with the rights of others or harming
them.
• Psychological growth fosters the development of
autonomy, which is associated with self-esteem.
Self-Esteem
•
•
•
•
Influences one’s thoughts, actions, and feelings
Begins to develop early in childhood
Remains fairly constant over time
Is greatly influenced by caretakers
Self-Esteem
Positive
• Display autonomy
• Are self-confident
• Accept challenges
• Work well with others
• Adjust easily to change
• Accept responsibility
Low
• Have difficulty making
decisions
• Resist changing
behavior
• Resent any form of
criticism
• Put down others to
make themselves look
or feel better
Improving Psychological Health
• Lifestyle behaviors such as exercising regularly,
obtaining adequate sleep, and eating a nutritious diet
• Improve intellectual health and attend to spiritual
needs.
• Foster social contacts.
• Protect the quality of your environment.
Understanding Psychological (Mental)
Illness
• Occasionally, healthy people have disturbing thoughts,
experience unpleasant feelings, or display
inappropriate behaviors.
• Mentally ill individuals experience abnormal feelings,
thoughts, and behaviors that persist, interfere with
daily life, and hinder psychological adjustment and
growth.
Understanding Psychological
(Mental) Illness
• Psychosis—a severe type of mental illness
characterized by disorganized thoughts and unreal
perceptions that result in strange behavior, isolation,
delusions, and hallucinations
• Delusions—inaccurate and unreasonable beliefs that
often result in decision-making errors
• Hallucinations—false sensory perceptions that have
no apparent external cause, but are real to the
psychotic individual
Understanding Psychological
(Mental) Illness
• Between 2005 and 2009,
about one in ten adult
Americans reported
experiencing “frequent
mental distress” for 14 or
more days during the
previous 30 days.
Causes of Psychological Disorders
• Alterations of the normal chemical environment of the
brain (may be genetic)
• Brain damage from injuries, tumors, or infections
• Drugs such as cocaine
• Extremely stressful experiences, particularly in
childhood
• Pollutants such as pesticides and toxic minerals (e.g.,
lead, mercury, and arsenic)
Treating Psychological Disorders
• Fewer than 50% of Americans seek treatment.
• Treatment for psychological problems generally
involves a combination of:
– Counseling
– Cognitive behavioral therapy
– Group therapy
– Support groups
– Medications
Anxiety Disorders
• Generalized anxiety disorder—uncontrollable chronic
worrying and nervousness
• Phobias—intense and irrational fear of objects or
situations
• Panic disorder—panic attacks, unpredictable episodes
of extreme fear and loss of emotional control
Trauma- and StressorRelated Disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder—persistent arousal,
avoidance, negative thoughts or feelings, and
reexperiencing of traumatic events
• Acute stress disorder—severe anxiety, disassociation,
decreased emotional response, and feelings of guilt
about pursuing usual life tasks
• Adjustment disorders—feeling sad or experiencing
physical symptoms (e.g., twitching, skipped heart
beats) associated with a difficult life event (e.g., major
illness, death of a loved one)
Obsessive-Compulsive
and Related Disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder—repetitive thoughts
that produce anxiety and obsessive behaviors that
follow in order to reduce anxiety
• Hoarding disorder—persistent difficulty discarding or
parting with possessions due to distress associated
with discarding them
• Tricholtillomania—compulsive urge to pull out, and in
some cases eat, one’s own hair
Impulse Control Disorders
• Attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder—
short attention span and/or
hyperactivity that results in
serious social impairment
• Problem gambling—
compulsive and excessive
gambling that disrupts
personal, family, or
vocational pursuits
Mood Disorders
• Major depressive disorder—persistent and profound
feelings of sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, and
worthlessness
• Seasonal affective disorder—depression that is a result
of lack of exposure to bright light (e.g., sunlight)
• Bipolar disorder—episodes of depression followed by
episodes or elevated mood (mania)
Feeding and Eating Disorders
• Anorexia nervosa—
disorder in which
individuals refuse to eat
enough food to maintain
a healthy weight
Feeding and Eating Disorders
• Bulimia nervosa—
disorder characterized by
a craving for food that is
difficult to satisfy; often
involves eating excessive
amounts of food
followed by purging
(vomiting)
Feeding and Eating Disorders
• Binge eating disorder—pattern of excessive eating,
without purging or exercise, in response to emotional
distress
• Female athlete triad—disordered eating affecting
female athletes characterized by absence of
menstruation and osteopenia
• Muscle dysmorphia—condition that affects
weightlifters/bodybuilders; characterized by
dissatisfaction with body, disordered eating, excessive
exercise, and abuse of steroids
Psychotic Disorders
• Schizophrenia—mental
disorder characterized by
disorganized thoughts,
hallucinations and
delusions, strange
behaviors, inappropriate
emotions, and disjointed
speech
Suicide
• Although suicide is not a psychological disorder, it is
usually preceded by other psychological problems
such as depression.
• Often, those who commit suicide:
– Feel overwhelmed by the demands of life
– Are unable to solve their problems or adapt to their
situation
– Abuse alcohol
• In 2011, Suicide was the third leading cause of death
for Americans between 18 and 24 years of age.
Suicide Prevention
• Consider a person at high suicide risk if he or she:
– Is preoccupied with thoughts of death
– Communicates the intent to commit suicide to
others
– Has a history of suicide attempts
– Has a family history of suicide
– Grieves excessively over the death of a loved one
– Has marital or financial problems
• Take all signs of impending suicide seriously and
immediately seek help for the suicidal person
Suicide Prevention
• Mental health centers
have trained counselors
available 24 hours a day
• Visit the National
Suicide Prevention
Lifeline website or call
800-273-TALK
Chapter 3
Stress and Its
Management
Learning Objectives
• Define stress and stressors.
• Differentiate between distress and eustress.
• Differentiate between physical and psychological
responses to stressors.
Learning Objectives
• Describe the three stages of general adaptation
syndrome.
• Describe how health is affected by stress and how
personality distinguishes responses to stress.
• Explain how stress affects chronic health
problems.
Learning Objectives
• Describe various positive and negative ways of
coping with stress.
• Highlight the difference between problem- and
emotion-focused strategies of coping with stress.
• Identify three stress reduction techniques.
What is Stress?
• Stress—a complex series of reactions, both
psychological and physical, in response to
demanding or threatening situations
• Stressors—events that produce physical and
psychological demands on a person
What is Stress?
• Distress—events or situations that produce negative or
unwanted outcomes and are difficult to control
• Eustress—events or situations that create demands on
a person that result in positive outcomes (e.g.,
becoming a new parent, accepting a desired job)
– Eustress can still have negative effects on the body
and mind because it requires physical and
psychological adjustments.
Stress Responses
• Physical responses
− Hormones—chemical messengers that convey
information from a gland to other cells in the
body
− Glands of the endocrine system produce several
different hormones and secrete them directly
into the bloodstream.
Stress Responses
• Physical responses
− Stress hormones increase heart rate, blood
pressure, central nervous system (CNS)
activity, and blood flow to the heart and
skeletal muscles.
Stress Responses
• General adaptation syndrome (GAS)
− Alarm—adrenal glands release stress hormones to
prepare your body to deal with the stressful event
− Resistance—body maintains its protective
physical reactions to the stressor
− Exhaustion—physical stress defenses are
weakened, and you become more susceptible to
infections
Stress Responses
• Psychological responses
– Distressed individuals are more likely to report
psychological symptoms such as frustration,
anxiety, and anger.
– Irritability, overeating and/or abusing drugs
often occur when one is overstressed.
– “Stressedout” people often have difficulty
focusing their attention, making decisions, and
sleeping.
Stress Responses
• Psychological responses
– Burnout—feeling as though one has exhausted
physical and psychological abilities to cope
with stressors.
– Low levels of psychological stress can enhance
performance by increasing one’s effort and
attention to the task.
Impact of Stress on Health
• Stressful life events
– Social readjustment rating scale (SRRS)
• States that people who experience numerous
major life events within a short time span are
likely to develop illnesses.
– Observing an association between stressful
events and the onset of illnesses does not mean
that stress causes health problems.
Impact of Stress on Health
• The mind-body relationship
– Psychoneuroimmunology—the study of the
relationships between the nervous, endocrine,
and immune systems, is the field of medical
research that explores the connection between
mind and body.
Impact of Stress on Health
• The mind-body relationship
– Stress alters the normal functioning of the
brain, which in turn, affects immune system
functioning.
– Stress may also stimulate other components of
the body’s immune response, resulting in
inflammation.
Impact of Stress on Health
• The mind-body relationship
– Chronic mild inflammation is thought to be
associated with the development of many
serious diseases, including heart and other
blood vessel diseases, obesity, diabetes,
smoking, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory
bowel disorders, certain cancers, and
Alzheimer’s disease.
Impact of Stress on Health
• Personality and stress
– Each person’s unique combination of personality
traits and background experiences contributes to
his or her stress response.
Impact of Stress on Health
• Stress and chronic health problems
– Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Anxiety and stress worsen the signs and
symptoms of IBS.
• IBS often occurs with fibromyalgia
syndrome (FMS).
Impact of Stress on Health
• Stress and chronic health problems
– Peptic ulcers
• Stress can make peptic ulcers worse when
they occur.
– Tension headaches
• May be triggered by stress
Impact of Stress on Health
• Stress and chronic health problems
– Overweight and obesity
• About 80% of people alter their eating habits
when they feel stressed.
• Can lead to obesity
Impact of Stress on Health
• Stress and chronic health problems
– Heart disease and cancer
• Excessive stress hormones in bloodstream =
inflammation.
• Inflammation can cause high blood pressure
and damage to inside of blood vessel walls.
Coping with Stress
• Coping strategies—behavioral responses and
thought processes that individuals use to deal
actively with sources of stress.
– Problem-focused
– Emotion-focused
– Social-support
Coping with Stress
• Problem-focused strategies—behaviors that can
directly reduce or eliminate the negative effects of
stressors
– Planning, confronting, and problem-solving
activities
– Increases feelings of control over the stressor =
less distress and fewer health problems
Coping with Stress
• Problem-focused strategies
– Time management
• Make a list.
• Prioritize.
• How long will each task take based on its
priority?
• Make sure to schedule relaxation and rest
time.
Coping with Stress
• Problem-focused strategies
– Journal writing
• Entering your thoughts in a journal regularly
can help you focus on your emotional
responses to situations.
Coping with Stress
• Emotion-focused strategies—alteration of one’s
appraisal of stressful situations
– Can improve mood and reduce anxiety by
making the events seem less threatening
– Unhealthy lifestyles generally relieve stress for
the short term, but the consequences often
create even more stress for the individual.
Coping with Stress
• Emotion-focused strategies
– Some are helpful, especially if the strategy aids
in mental relaxation or encourages more
positive thinking.
Coping with Stress
• Social-support strategies—include seeking the advice,
assistance, or consolation of close friends and
relatives; participating in support groups; and
obtaining spiritual help from members of the clergy or
religious congregations.
Relaxation Techniques
• Practicing relaxation techniques when you feel
stressed can help restore many body processes to
normal, which reduces the potentially damaging
effects that stress can have on your body.
Relaxation Techniques
• Deep breathing
– Hyperventilation alters the chemistry of the
blood, which increases the heart rate and causes
dizziness.
– By deliberately breathing more slowly and
deeply, distressed people can feel more relaxed
as their blood chemistry values return to
normal.
Relaxation Techniques
• Progressive muscular relaxation
– Distressed individuals are often tense.
– Individuals learn how to release muscle tension
voluntarily, becoming aware of the relaxed
sensations.
Relaxation Techniques
• Meditation and the relaxation response
– Meditation—an activity in which a person
relaxes by mentally focusing on a single word,
object, or thought
Relaxation Techniques
• Meditation and the relaxation response
– Mindfulness meditation—involves a variety of
relaxation methods that focus attention
completely and in a nonjudgmental way on what
you are doing or experiencing at the moment
Relaxation Techniques
• Imagery—mental activity that is often combined
with progressive muscular relaxation exercises to
enhance physical relaxation
– After relaxing his or her muscles, the person
thinks of a peaceful, pleasurable scene, using
imagination or past experiences as a guide.
Relaxation Techniques
• Self-talk
– Positive self-talk reflects a person’s attributes
and boosts self confidence.
– Think of at least three affirmative statements to
say about yourself, including your feelings,
accomplishments, skills, and characteristics.
Relaxation Techniques
• Physical exercise
– Can reduce stress by shifting one’s attention
away from stressors and toward the enjoyable
aspects of the activity
– Can metabolize the extra energy released
during the stress response, lessening the impact
of stress on the body
– Can enhance social and spiritual wellbeing
Relaxation Techniques
• Physical exercise
– Tai chi and yoga
• Tai chi—a form of martial art that originated
in China, which emphasizes relaxation of the
mind while the body is in motion
Relaxation Techniques
• Physical exercise
– Tai chi and yoga
• Yoga includes specific physical exercises,
breathing techniques, meditation activities,
and dietary restrictions to promote a
healthier body and manage stress.
Across the Live Span: Stress
• Childhood
– Common stressors for children include separation
from a parent through divorce or death, moving to
a new neighborhood and changing schools, and
illness of a close family member.
• Young adult
– Individuals undergo numerous physical and social
changes during this time.
Across the Live Span: Stress
• Aging adult
– Work, finances, adult children/grandchildren
• Elderly
– Loneliness, deaths of many close friends/family
members, illness
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