Welcome to Topic G: Health Psychology!

Hello future psychologists! This chapter, Health Psychology, is one of the most practical and applicable areas of the subject. It sits firmly in the "Applications of psychology" section because it uses psychological principles to understand, prevent, and treat illness, and promote overall well-being.

We will learn why people get sick, why they ignore doctor’s orders, and how stress, something everyone experiences, physically affects the body. Understanding this topic isn't just great for your exams; it gives you tools to manage your own health better!

What is Health Psychology?

Health psychology views health not just as the absence of disease, but as a state influenced by a combination of factors. This is known as the Biopsychosocial Model:

  • Bio (Biological): Physical health, genetics, and physiology (e.g., immune system response).
  • Psycho (Psychological): Thoughts, beliefs, coping skills, and stress appraisal.
  • Social (Sociocultural): Social support, culture, socioeconomic status (money/job), and environment.

Key Takeaway: Health psychologists believe you can't treat the body without considering the mind and the person's environment.

Section 1: The Causes and Experience of Stress

Stress is central to health psychology. A stressor is anything that challenges the body or mind, leading to a stress response. We categorize stressors into two main types: major life events and daily hassles.

1.1 Life Events as Stressors (Holmes & Rahe)

In the 1960s, Holmes and Rahe suggested that major life changes—whether positive (like marriage) or negative (like divorce)—require adjustment, and this adjustment is what causes stress and potentially illness.

The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)
  • Concept: The SRRS is a measure that assigns a numerical value, called a Life Change Unit (LCU), to 43 different life events. The more significant the change, the higher the LCU score.
  • Example LCUs: Death of a spouse (100 LCUs), Divorce (73 LCUs), Christmas (12 LCUs).
  • Hypothesis: A high total LCU score (e.g., over 300) accumulated over a short period (12 months) indicates a high risk of developing stress-related illness.

Critique of SRRS (Why it’s not perfect):

  • It ignores subjective appraisal (how the individual interprets the event). Moving house might be exciting for one person but terrifying for another.
  • It doesn't consider control. Stress caused by being fired might be worse than stress caused by choosing to quit.
  • It treats positive and negative changes the same, even though positive events generally carry less long-term threat.

1.2 Daily Hassles and Uplifts (Lazarus)

Psychologist Richard Lazarus argued that major life events are rare, but it’s the constant, minor irritations of everyday life—the daily hassles—that cause the most consistent damage to health.

  • Daily Hassles Examples: Traffic jams, annoying neighbours, small arguments, deadlines, losing keys.
  • Uplifts: Lazarus also noted daily uplifts—minor positive experiences (e.g., getting a good night's sleep, hearing a favourite song)—which act as buffers against stress.

Analogy: Think of the SRRS life events like a major flood (a huge, sudden shock). Daily hassles are like a constant, slow leak in your ceiling—less dramatic but potentially more damaging over time.

Quick Review: The difference is **severity vs. frequency**. SRRS focuses on severe, infrequent changes. Lazarus focuses on frequent, minor irritations.

Section 2: Models Explaining the Stress Response

2.1 The Physiological Response to Stress: Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye (1956) proposed that the body responds to *any* stressor (physical or psychological) in the same predictable three-stage sequence, known as the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).

The Three Stages of GAS
  1. Alarm Reaction: The body recognizes the stressor. The sympathetic nervous system is activated. Hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released. This is the "fight or flight" response.
    (Example: Your heart races, breathing speeds up.)
  2. Stage of Resistance: If the stressor continues, the body tries to cope and adapt. The stress response system stays active but at a reduced level. Resources are being used up to maintain high energy levels. If the stress is temporary, the body recovers.
    (Example: You manage the deadline stress for weeks, but you feel constantly exhausted.)
  3. Stage of Exhaustion: If the stressor is long-term and unavoidable, the body's resources (like immune functioning) are depleted. Resistance drops. The person becomes vulnerable to stress-related diseases (e.g., ulcers, high blood pressure) or even death.
    (Example: After months of intense stress, you finally catch a severe flu because your immune system has shut down.)

Memory Aid (ARE): Remember the stages: Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion.

Did you know? Selye originally identified this pattern when observing lab animals responding to cold, infection, and physical trauma, suggesting the body’s physical response is non-specific, regardless of the stressor type.

2.2 The Psychological Response to Stress: Lazarus's Transactional Model

Lazarus and Folkman (1984) developed a psychological model arguing that stress is not just a physiological reaction, but a subjective interaction (or transaction) between the person and the environment. Crucially, stress only occurs if a situation is appraised as threatening.

Step 1: Primary Appraisal (Threat or Challenge?)

The individual asks: "Is this situation a threat to my well-being?"

  • Irrelevant: No consequence.
  • Benign-Positive: Good outcome (e.g., getting praised).
  • Stressful: Requires further appraisal (e.g., threat, harm, or challenge).
Step 2: Secondary Appraisal (Can I Cope?)

If the situation is appraised as stressful, the individual then asks: "Do I have the resources or ability to cope with this demand?"

  • High Ability to Cope: Low stress is experienced. ("Yes, I can handle this exam.")
  • Low Ability to Cope (Resource Deficit): High stress is experienced. ("No, I don't know how to study for this, I'm going to fail.")
Step 3: Coping and Reappraisal

The person uses coping strategies (either problem-focused—changing the stressor—or emotion-focused—managing the feelings). After coping, they re-evaluate the situation (reappraisal).

Analogy: You see a large dog (stressor). Primary Appraisal: "Is it dangerous?" Secondary Appraisal: "Do I have a fence or a treat to calm it?" If you have a fence, stress is low. If you don't, stress is high.

Key Takeaway: Selye (GAS) tells us *what* the body does automatically. Lazarus tells us *why* we perceive it as stressful in the first place (it’s all about subjective interpretation).

Section 3: Measuring Stress and Health

To study health psychology scientifically, we need reliable ways to measure both the stressors and the resulting physiological impact.

3.1 Self-Report Methods

These involve asking participants about their feelings, experiences, and level of stress.

  • The SRRS (Holmes & Rahe): Measures major life changes (LCUs).
    Pros: Easy and quick to administer.
    Cons: Fails to account for personal interpretation; relies on honest recall.
  • The Hassles and Uplifts Scale (Lazarus): Measures frequency and intensity of minor daily irritations and positive events.
    Pros: Captures the everyday factors that affect health; better predictor of illness than SRRS.
    Cons: Can be long and time-consuming; response bias (people may exaggerate or minimize problems).

3.2 Physiological Measures (Objective Methods)

These measures provide objective data on the body's physical response to stress, often involving the Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary (SAM) system and the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis.

Measuring Stress Hormones
  • Cortisol: This is a glucocorticoid stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands (part of the HPA axis). High levels of cortisol over long periods suppress the immune system.
    Measurement: Cortisol levels can be measured in blood, urine, or, most commonly and easily, saliva (collected using a simple swab) or hair (for chronic stress levels over months).
  • Adrenaline/Noradrenaline: These are key hormones involved in the initial 'Alarm' stage (SAM system). They can be measured in urine or blood plasma.
Cardiovascular Measures
  • Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Pressure (BP): The rapid increase in heart rate and blood pressure is a classic sign of sympathetic nervous system arousal (fight or flight).
    Measurement: Easily done using continuous monitors or standard blood pressure cuffs.

Avoid This Common Mistake: Self-report measures are subjective (based on opinion/feeling). Physiological measures are objective (based on measurable biological data). Both have strengths and weaknesses, so good research often uses both (triangulation).

Section 4: Managing and Reducing Stress

Since chronic stress is harmful, health psychology focuses heavily on interventions to manage or reduce its effects.

4.1 Psychological Methods: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a very effective way to manage stress, especially according to Lazarus's model, because it tackles the way we appraise stressors. It works by changing negative thought patterns and maladaptive behaviours.

How CBT Works for Stress Management:
  1. Identify Stressors and Negative Thoughts: The client and therapist identify situations that cause stress and the automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) that follow. (Example: "I failed that test because I am stupid.")
  2. Cognitive Restructuring (Challenging the Thoughts): The therapist helps the client challenge the reality and usefulness of the negative thought. They look for evidence for and against the thought. (Example: "Was I really stupid, or did I simply run out of time? Other people found it difficult too.")
  3. Developing Coping Statements and Skills: Replacing the negative thought with a realistic, helpful coping statement. The client also learns practical stress reduction skills (like relaxation or time management). (Example: Changing the thought to: "It was a difficult test, but I will prepare better for the next one.")

Benefit: CBT provides long-term skills. Once taught, the individual can use the techniques independently to handle future stressful events.

4.2 Biological Methods: Drug Therapy

Drug therapy aims to reduce the physiological symptoms of anxiety and stress, often by affecting neurotransmitters or the cardiovascular system.

1. Beta-Blockers
  • Mechanism: These drugs block the receptor sites for the stress hormones (adrenaline and noradrenaline) in the heart and circulatory system.
  • Effect: They stop the physical symptoms of anxiety (shaking, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure) without affecting alertness. They are often used by performers to manage stage fright.
2. Benzodiazepines (BZs)
  • Mechanism: BZs (like Valium) enhance the action of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid). GABA slows down nerve impulses across the brain.
  • Effect: They have a global calming effect, reducing anxiety and promoting muscle relaxation.

Warning on Drugs: While effective for immediate symptom relief, drugs often treat the symptoms, not the root cause of the stress. BZs, in particular, carry a risk of dependence (addiction) and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

Summary of Interventions

CBT is problem-focused (changing the thought processes that cause stress) and provides lasting coping mechanisms. Drug therapy is emotion-focused (reducing the negative emotional/physical symptoms) and offers fast, short-term relief.

Congratulations! You’ve mastered the core concepts of Health Psychology—understanding how we stress, how we measure it, and how we fight back. Keep practicing your application of Selye’s and Lazarus’s models!