Psy 270 Appendix D

University of Phoenix Material

Week 3

Appendix D

Psychological and Psychophysiological Stress Disorders

Respond to the following:

1. Stress can be the root cause of psychological disorders. Name four symptoms shared by acute and posttraumatic stress disorders.

Re-experiencing The Event

Avoidance and Emotional Numbing

Hyper-vigilance, irritability, sleep problems

Alienation, depression and physical symptoms

2. What life events are most likely to trigger a stress disorder?

Events likely to trigger a stress disorder could be anything from wars, natural disasters, accidents, sexual assault, victim crimes, and terrorism: Anything that can be considered emotionally traumatizing.

3. Traumatic events do not always result in a diagnosable psychological disorder. What factors determine how a person may be affected by one such event?

Personalities, biological processes, childhood experiences and social support systems play a role in whether a person develops a stress disorder.

4. What is the link between personality styles and heart disease?

People with a type A personality is more likely to be high strung, angry, overly driven, competitive, and cynical. These people add stress to their lives therefore making themselves more susceptible to heart attack. Type B personality people are laid back and less worried about the rushes of life. Those who fall in between these two types depending on their rate of stress their chances of developing heart disease vary

5. List and briefly describe four psychological treatments for physical disorders.

Relaxation Training - The individual is taught to relax their muscles at will. It is believed that by doing this the individual will be able to reduce anxiety and therefore keep their heart rate and blood pressure down.

Biofeedback - Gives the individual an immediate visual or audio response to their anxiety or stress level. This then allows them the chance to calm...