What is Stress

1
What is Stress?

• A physiological response?
• Particular emotions?
• A major life event?
• A minor life event?
• A circumstance?
• A conflict between two competing drives?

2
What do adolescents find stressful?

• Academic
• Interpersonal
• Family
• Peer Friends, romance
• Girls Network events (stress of caring)

3
Stress Appraisal

• Stress is in the eye of the beholder

4
Lazarus and Folkman Primary Appraisal Process
Appraisal influenced by characteristics of
circumstance (e.g., intensity, duration), and by
individual differences (e.g., temperament,
attachment history, previous trauma)
5
Lazarus and Folkman Secondary Appraisal Processes

• Coping constantly changing cognitive and
  behavioral efforts to manage specific external
  and/or internal demands that are appraised as
  taxing or exceeding the resources of the person.

6
Lazarus and Folkman Secondary Appraisal Process
7
Problem-Focused Coping

• Coping efforts intended to act on the stressor
• Examples (e.g., generating alternative
  solutions talking to someone who can help one
  eliminate a problem)

8
Emotion-Focused Coping

• Coping efforts which are intended to regulate the
  emotional states associated with or resulting
  from the stressor
• Examples see the silver lining, acceptance,
  cognitive avoidance

9
Different Theoretical Approaches to Coping

• Coping Resources
• Coping Styles
• Coping Efforts

10
Coping Resources

• Relatively stable characteristics of the self or
  the environment that facilitate successful
  adaptation to stress.
• Individual resources
• problem solving, interpersonal skills
• Emotional resources (for example, ability to
  relax, tolerance for negative emotion,
  self-worth)
• secure working model of attachment
• Environmental resources
• social support networks
• financial resources
• community resources

11
Coping Styles

• Individuals coping tendencies that are
  relatively stable across situation and across
  time
• Example Approach vs. Avoidance
• Approach move closer to stressor. Tendency to
  focus on and respond to potential for reward,
  positive emotion.
• Avoidance move further away from stressor.
  Greater focus on a negative/defensive system,
  potential for punishment or failure, inhibit
  approach.
• Example 15 year old boy, attracted to girl.

12
Coping Efforts

• Specific coping cognitions, feelings, behaviors
• Examples Evaluation, willful cognitive
  distraction, positive reappraisal, venting,
  seeking emotional support, constructive stress
  relief, direct action
• Assumption not sufficient to study
  characteristic resources or styles, because
  coping efforts can vary across time, situation

13
Coping as Effortful

• Effortful implies executive control over
  lower-order systems (e.g., approach vs.
  avoidance)
• For example, attentional control
• Ability to shift attention away from stress, to
  soothe self. Ability to direct attention to
  sources of safety
• However, too much attentional avoidance
  missing important information in environment, and
  missed opportunity to learn to cope. Must attend
  to stress as well.