9990 · 3.4.1
Sources of stress flashcards
Revision flashcards for Cambridge 9990 Sources of stress (syllabus 3.4.1). Flip, recall, then mark a real past-paper question.
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Eustress vs distress?
Eustress — **positive** stress that motivates (e.g. exam preparation). Distress — **negative** stress that overwhelms coping resources.
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Holmes & Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale?
43 life events ranked by **Life Change Units (LCUs)** — e.g. death of spouse = 100, marriage = 50. Total >300 = high stress risk.
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Kanner et al. (1981) daily hassles?
Minor daily irritations (traffic, arguments, deadlines) correlate **more strongly** with health outcomes than major life events — **accumulation effect**.
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Daily uplifts?
Small positive events (compliment, good meal) that buffer stress — Kanner found uplifts improve mood and health.
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Workplace stress — demand-control model?
Karasek — high **job demands** + low **control** = highest stress and cardiovascular risk (high-strain jobs).
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Individual differences in stress?
Same stressor affects people differently — depends on **appraisal** (Lazarus), **personality** (Type A), and **social support**.
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What is the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)?
A self-report questionnaire by Holmes and Rahe (1967) to measure stress from major life events. It assigns a Life Change Unit (LCU) score to 43 events. A high total LCU score in a year is correlated with an increased risk of illness.
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What is the main argument of the 'daily hassles' model of stress?
Proposed by Kanner et al. (1981), it argues that the frequent, minor irritations of everyday life are a more significant source of stress than major life events because their cumulative effect wears down an individual's coping abilities.
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According to Marmot et al.'s (1997) Whitehall II study, what is a key workplace stressor?
Low job control. The study of British civil servants found that employees in lower-grade jobs, who had less control over their work, had a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease than those in higher-grade jobs with more control.
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Describe the key characteristics of a Type A personality.
As identified by Friedman and Rosenman, Type A individuals are characterised by being highly competitive, ambitious, work-driven, impatient, time-urgent, and prone to anger and hostility.
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What is meant by the 'hostility component' in relation to personality and stress?
It is the element of the Type A personality that is now considered the most 'toxic' and the strongest predictor of stress-related illness, particularly coronary heart disease. It involves tendencies towards anger, cynicism, and mistrust.