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Essentials of Psychology
Benjamin B Lahey, University of Chicago

Stress and Health


approach-approach conflict  Conflict in which the individual must choose between two positive goals of approximately equal value.
approach-avoidance conflict  Conflict in which achieving a positive goal will produce a negative outcome as well.
avoidance-avoidance conflict  Conflict in which the individual must choose between two negative outcomes of approximately equal value.
conflict  The state in which two or more motives cannot be satisfied because they interfere with one another.
coping  Attempts by individuals to deal with the source of stress and/or control their reactions to it.
defense mechanisms  According to Freud, the unrealistic strategies used by the ego to discharge tension.
frustration  The result of being unable to satisfy a motive.
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)  According to Selye, the mobilization of the body to ward off threats, characterized by a three-stage pattern of the alarm reaction, the resistance stage, and the exhaustion stage.
health psychology  The field of psychology that uses psychological principles to encourage healthy lifestyles and to minimize the impact of physical illness.
immune system  The complex body system of defenses to illness, such as white cells and natural killer cells of the blood.
life events  Psychologically significant events that occur in a person's life, such as divorce, childbirth, or change in employment.
multiple approach-avoidance conflict  Conflict that requires the individual to choose between two alternatives, each of which contains both positive and negative consequences.
person variables  All characteristics of an individual that are relatively enduring, such as ways of thinking, beliefs, or physiological reactivity to stress.
pressure  Stress that arises from the threat of negative events.
progressive relaxation training  A method of learning to deeply relax the muscles of the body.
social support  The role played by friends and relatives in providing advice, assistance, and someone in whom to confide private feelings.
stress  Any event or circumstance that strains or exceeds an individual's ability to cope.
Type A personality  The pattern of behavior characterized most by intense competitiveness, hostility, overwork, and a sense of time urgency.