In this video I discuss the relationship between the stress response and the social hierarchy. While high status in a hierarchy can be associated with greater control and less stress, …
Perceived Control & Learned Helplessness
In this video I discuss appraisal, perceived control, and learned helplessness. While primary appraisal refers to identifying whether something represents a threat, secondary appraisal refers to determining if one can …
Stress, Personality, & Heart Disease
In this video I discuss the relationship between stress, personality, and heart disease. Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman proposed that Type A personality, characterized by competitiveness and hostility, was associated …
Psychological Stressors & Health
In this video I discuss the psychological components of stress and how we can become stressed from the anticipation of threats. Psychological stressors are especially dangerous because they have the …
Stress & The Immune System
In this video I briefly describe the immune system and the cells involved in surveillance and protection from invaders, pathogens, and other threats. Next I discuss the relationship between stress …
General Adaptation Syndrome
In this video I describe homeostasis, which refers to maintenance of an optimal state, and allostasis, which clarifies that an optimal state is actually a range of possible states depending …
The Stress Response & HPA Axis
In this video I describe the stress response in more detail, including possible gender differences in reaction to threats. Shelley Taylor proposed the tend–and–befriend response to refer to a female …
What is Stress?
In this video I discuss how we define stress. I begin with Walter Cannon’s “fight or flight” response and the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Next I discuss the …
Introduction to Health Psychology
In this video I introduce the unit on health psychology by defining several key terms and discussing the challenges of understanding the causes of illness. I describe etiology (or aetiology), …
Altruism & Prosocial Behavior
In this video I discuss how prosocial behavior is a commonplace but important part of life and we shouldn’t forget that every day billions of people come together and help …