Lester M. Sdorow,
Arcadia University
Cheryl A. Rickabaugh,
University of Redlands
| atherosclerosis | The narrowing of arteries caused by the accumulation of cholesterol deposits.
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| cognitive appraisal | The subjective interpretation of the severity of a stressor.
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| explanatory style | The tendency to explain events optimistically or pessimistically.
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| general adaptation syndrome | As first identified by Hans Selye, the body's stress response, which includes the stages of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
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| health psychology | The field that applies psychological principles to the prevention and treatment of physical illness.
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| learned helplessness | A feeling of futility caused by the belief that one has little or no control over events in one's life, which can make one stop trying and become depressed.
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| perceived control | The degree to which a person feels in control over life's stressors.
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| physiological reactivity | The extent to which a person displays increases in heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormone secretion, and other physiological activity in response to stressors.
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| posttraumatic stress disorder | A syndrome of physical and psychological symptoms that appears as a delayed response after exposure to an extremely emotionally distressing event.
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| progressive relaxation | A stress-management procedure that involves the successive tensing and relaxing of each of the major muscle groups of the body.
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| psychological hardiness | A personality characteristic marked by feelings of commitment, challenge, and control that promotes resistance to stress.
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| psychoneuroimmunology | The interdisciplinary field that studies the relationship between psychological factors and physical illness.
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| social support | The availability of support from other people, whether tangible or intangible.
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| stress | The physiological response of the body to physical and psychological demands.
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| stressor | A physical or psychological demand that induces physiological adjustment.
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| Type A behavior | A syndrome--marked by impatience, hostility, and extreme competitiveness--that is associated with the development of coronary heart disease.
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education