Aggression and Stress

Aggression/Anger O Does venting your anger make you

less angry?O Catharsis Hypothesis: emotional

release O Maintains that “releasing”

aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges

O Is it true?O More often than not, noO Expressing anger breeds more

anger O Aggression and gender

O Across every culture and every age, men are more likely than females to act aggressive O Biological or social?

Happiness O Happy people perceive the world as safer,

feel more confident, make decisions more easily, rate job applicants more favorably, are more cooperative and tolerant, and live healthier and more energized and satisfied lives

O Does money buy happiness?O Once you have enough money for comfort

and security, piling up more and more matters less and less

O Ed Diener

Stress and Health

Psychology

Stress O The unpleasant emotional state that results from

the perception of dangerO Key word is perception

O No one set of stressors will reliably produce stress in everybody

O Not always the event, but rather, how we perceive the events

O Not just a stimulus or a response O It is the process by which we appraise and cope with

environmental threats and challenges O Mobilizes the body’s resources to enhance survival

in dangerous situations O Can be good

O Can motivate us or make us perform betterO Can be bad…

What Causes Stress?O Often exists in the eye of the

beholder O We appraise potential stressors to

determine if they are harmless, positive or negative

O Major stressorsO Large scale disasters O Changes (good or bad) O Daily hassles O Social relationships and their

disruption

General Adaptation Syndrome – Hans Selye

O Alarm ReactionO A hiker confronts a rattlesnake, freezes in his tracks,

and becomes aware of every sound around him - tries not to panic

O Not enough? On to stage 2

O Resistance O Isolated mountain hiker is caught in a sudden

blizzardO Will use his knowledge of mountains to shelter

himselfO When his food runs out, all his activities will deplete

his internal reserves

O ExhaustionO Reaching the breaking point

Biology of Stress Sympathetic Adrenal-

Medullary System (SAM)

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

(HPA)

O Initiates the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine into the bloodstream from the adrenal glands

O Produces the fight-flight response to stress

O Hypothalamus communicates with the pituitary gland, which tells the adrenal glands to release cortisol (hormone)O Cortisol boosts the

energy available for dealing with a stressor

Occur at the same time; HPA can continue much longer than the SAM response

Differences in Responding to Stress

O Do we all respond with the fight or flight response?O No

O WithdrawalO Tend and befriend: More likely to be done

by womenO Soothing others, hiding, forming social

alliances O Probably related to the release of oxytocin a

hormone related to social bonding

Stress and the Immune SystemO Stress can have short term benefits, including

an improved immune system O The immune system does NOT perform well in

the face of long-term, chronic stress O Our body prioritizes body functions during stress

(fight-flight response)O This can be very bad if stress is chronic!

O Lymphocytes (white blood cells) protect us from invading organisms O Stress hormones suppress the activity of

lymphocytesO Stressors that are outside of a person’s control

and lead to little hope for improvement have the most damaging effects

Other Ill Effects of Stress O Cortisol plays a role in our sleep-awake cycle

O Released in large quantities in the morning, contributing to wakefulness

O A jolt of cortisol, as a result of a stressor, late at night, will make sleep difficult!

O May also interfere with sleep quality O Stress related hormones also cause fat cells

to grow in both size and number O Stress can also contribute to obesity

because of its interruption of the sleep cycle

Type A Personality O Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman O WorkaholicsO Highly competitiveO More susceptible to heart disease

O Stress does not allow the blood vessels to expand O Not the competitiveness that does it…

O More likely the pattern of interpersonal hostility O Suspicious, angry, resentful of othersO Not likely to have the same networks of friends and

family

How To Reduce Stress O A major variable that

predicts our response to stress is the sense of control

O People cope the best with stress when they are healthy

O Aerobic exercise O Social connectedness and

support O Having a pet can provide

benefits to your health!

Individual Differences in Response to Stress

O Affected by genetics O Resilience – ability to adapts to life’s

challenges in positive ways O Hardiness – commitment, control, and

challenge O Social SkillsO Cognitive SkillsO Flexibility

Types of Conflict O Approach-Approach

O Do I want to go to the concert or ballgame on Saturday?

O Avoidance-AvoidanceO Should I stay up all night studying for

my physics or math final?O Approach-Avoidance

O Should I ask him to go to the party with me? He could say yes…but he could say no…