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 manage or control a stressor. Stressors that can’t be managed … Read More
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 with 7x more heart disease than Type B personality, characterized … Read More
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 potential to become chronic stressors which constantly plague us. Next … Read More
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 and decreased immune function, which is related to elevated levels … Read More
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 on context. Next I discuss Hans Selye’s theory of General … Read More
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 tendency to focus on relationships, empathy, and group cohesion in … Read More
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 distinction between stressors and the stress response. I consider Holmes … Read More
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), epidemiology, the use of retrospective & prospective studies, and the … Read More
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 one another. What explains this altruistic behavior? Kin selection theory … Read More
The Bystander Effect
In this video I discuss the bystander effect, which refers to a tendency for people to fail to act or help someone in need when in the presence of others. I begin with the famous story of Kitty Genovese, then … Read More