After reading and studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the three predominant models for how psychological factors affect physical disease.
2. Describe the fight-or-flight response and the phases of the general adaptation syndrome.
3. Discuss the characteristics of events that lead people to perceive them as stressful.
4. Describe some of the earlier notions in health psychology, such as the “ulcer-prone personality,” and why they were discredited.
5. Discuss the relationship between psychological factors and coronary heart disease, as well as hypertension.
6. Discuss how psychological factors can influence immunocompetence and the evidence that psychological factors influence the development and course of physical illness.
7. Discuss the negative physiological and psychological effects of sleep deprivation.
8. Distinguish among the various sleep disorders, including primary sleep disorders, dyssomnias, and parasomnias.
9. Discuss some of the treatments available for sleep disorders.
10. Explain how dispositional pessimism may contribute to physical illness, and the specific evidence that supports this view.
11. Distinguish between Type A and Type B personalities, and the evidence that Type A personality is associated with early mortality and coronary heart disease.
12. Identify the specific aspects of Type A personality that are most detrimental to health.
13. Discuss why men are more likely than women to develop Type A personalities.
14. Define repressive coping style, and summarize the evidence for its negative effect on physical health.
15. Define John Henryism, and explain how it might partly explain higher rates of hypertension in African American men.
16. Describe the elements of guided mastery techniques, cognitive therapy, biofeedback, and time management training.
17. Summarize the evidence for the idea that seeking social support, including support groups and religion, positively impacts upon physical health.