1. PSYA2: Biological Psychology
(Stress)
Whitehead/Clarke
By Nicky

3. Pathways…
1) Pituitary-adrenal
2) Sympathomedullary pathway
- Sympathetic (fight or flight)
- Parasympathetic (releases cortisol to calm)
3) Explain the difference between fight or flight
4) Model answers

4. 1. Describe the pituitary-adrenal
pathway
When the brain detects a
stressor…
The ACTH travels to the
adrenal cortex and The hypothalamus is
stimulates release of instructed to release CRF
hormones
The pituitary gland Which travels to the
releases ACTH pituitary gland

5. 2. Describe the sympathomedullary
pathway
Sympathetic
pathway
Parasympathetic
pathway
to produce
Heart rate/BP
ADRENALINE and
increases
NON ADRENALINE
Therefore, this
Heart rate/BP
pathway relaxes
return to normal
you again
This path causes
Fats & carbs
the adrenal
mobilize
medulla…
Digestion goes
This is a sign of
back to normal
bodily relaxation
Adrenal medulla is speed
controlled by ANS

6. 3. Explain the difference between “fight or
flight” and “tend and befriend”
The sympathomedullary pathway is an alarm
reaction. Often described as ‘fight or flight’. As
this prepares your body for action. Fight or
flight is what your body would do in a
situation. You either run, or you stay to fight a
problem. Women are often described to have
a ‘tend and befriend’ attitude as they have to
care for babies. However, if their baby was
threatened, they could shift to the fight or
flight reaction to defend their child.

7. Practice: ‘Describe how the body
responds to stress (6 marks)
1) In the first shock response, the sympathomedullary pathway, an alarm
reaction, also known as the ‘fight or flight’ response occurs. This
prepares your body for action. The Sympathetic branch of the ANS
(Autonomic nervous system) is activated by the hypothalamus,
stimulating the adrenal medulla to produce adrenaline and non-
adrenaline in times of stress. This leads to increased heart rate, blood
flow, blood pressure, and pupil dilation.
2) In the counter shock response, the pituitary-adrenal pathway, tries to
restore the body to it’s parasympathetic state. CRF chemicals are sent
to the pituitary adrenal gland, which releases ACTH, which stimulates
the adrenal cortex (situated slightly above the kidneys), to produce
cortisol, which helps to calm us down. HOWEVER, cortisol can also act
as an immunosuppressant, making us prone to illness.

8. Stress Related Illnesses…
• 1. Define immunosuppression
• 2. APFC Kiecolt-Glazer’s study on medical
students
• 3. Kiecolt-Glaser 1984’s AO2 points.
• 4. Additional AO2

9. 1. Define immunosuppression
Immunosuppression is a decrease in the amount
of white blood cells meaning that your body is
less protected from disease than usual,
making you more prone to disease.

10. 2. APFC Kiecolt-Glazer’s (1984) study on medical students
and explain what it tells us about stress and the immune
system
Aim:
To investigate whether stress of exams had an effect on
functioning of the immune system.
Procedures:
• 75 med students
• Blood samples taken a month prior to exams (low stress), and
during the exams (high stress)
• Measuring T-lymphocyte activity.
• Also given a questionnaire to access other life events.
Findings:
T-cell activity was significantly reduced in the 2nd sample.
T-cell activity was most reduced in ppts who had high stress levels.
Conclusion:
Exam stress reduces immune function, leaving them vulnerable to
disease.

11. KIECOLT-GLASER 1984 A02:
• Objective – measuring T- • Small sample size – 75
lymphocyte cells is a students
method that we know • All medical students – will
words. It’s scientific. be feeling more stressed
• Additional questionnaire due to the nature of their
used to be able to course
evaluate external • Can’t necessarily be
stressors. generalised.
• Backed up by KIECOLT- • Questionnaire used
GLASER 1991 (carers of would be subjective.
Alzheimer's patients)
and
KIECOLT-GLASER 1987
(women going through a
divorce.)

12. Kiecolt-Glaser et al’s (1984), back ups:
• Immune function significantly reduced in
highly stressed groups such as Alzheimer
carer’s. Kiecolt-Glaser et al 1991.
• Immune function was also significantly
reduced for women going through divorce
Kiecolt-Glaser et al 1987.
- All female?

13. Stress in Everyday Life
1. Life Events and Daily Hassles
• Life Events
• Define life events
• Explain the Social Readjusment Rating Scale (SRRS) as a
measure of life events
• APFC Rahe et a (1970)
• 3 detailed AO2 points on life events as a source of stress
including the historical validity of SRRS
• Define daily hassles and uplifts
• Describe Kanner (1987) research on daily hassles and
uplifts
• 3 detailed AO2 points on daily hassles as a source of stress

14. Life events:
Life events are discrete major stressors, things
such as marriage, deaths, and divorce. There
are also continuous minor stressors. These
include things such as losing your keys, getting
stuck in traffic. They are called daily hassles.
So…
1) Life events – massively impacting, but brief.
2) Daily hassles – small annoyances that can
occur regularly that just piss you off.

15. Social Readjustment Rating Scale
(SRRS) by Holmes and Rahe (1967)
• A scale of 43 life events.
• ‘Death of a spouse’ is at the top. With a rating of
100 LCU.
• ‘Minor violation of the law’ is at the bottom, with
a rating of 11 LCU.
• They proposed that a score over 150 within two
years increased the chances of stress-related
illness by 30%.
• A score of over 300 increased the chances by
50%.

16. A study of life changes as a source of
stress (Raheet al 1970)
Aim:
To find if the SRRS correlated with subsequent onset of illness.
Procedure:
2500 American Sailors, given SRRS to see how many life events had happened
to them within the last 6 months.
For the next 6 months (whilst they were on duty), their health status was
recorded.
Findings:
Positive correlation of 0.118 between SRRS scores and illness scores.
(perfect correlation = 1)
Indicating a meaningful relationship between LCUs and health (statistically
significant correlation.) As LCU’s increased, as did the frequency of illness.
Conclusion:
Positive correlation increased the chances of a stress related break down.
Since the correlation was not ONE EXACTLY, there must be another
contributing factor of stress.

17. Raheet al 1970 – life events and stress
AO2:
• HMM… • Ethnocentric – only
Americans tested.
Therefore not
generalisable.
• Androcentric – only males
tested.
• Only sailors tested, very
specific job. Not
generalisable.
• Correlations do not imply
what caused what.

18. 3 detailed AO2 points on life events as a source of stress
including the historical validity of SRRS
1) Not very historically valid. It was created in
1967, and things such as ‘change in church
activities’ would be less relevant in 2012, as
there is less social pressures focused on
Christianity.
2) Does not give a cause/effect relationship due
to correlation only.

19. Define daily hassles and uplifts
Daily hassles include things such as losing your
keys, getting stuck in a traffic jam, or
forgetting your planner. Little things that don’t
massively impact your life, however can build
up over time and cause stress.
Uplifts are things which you gain pleasure from
that counteract these daily hassles. For
example, seeing your friends, reading,
watching TV, and eating could all be
considered as uplifts.

20. Describe Kanner (1987) research on
daily hassles and uplifts
• Devised the ‘Hassles scale’
• 117 daily hassles, and 135 uplifts.
• Scores on Hassles Scale correlate with levels of
depression, and health problems KANNER ET
AL (1981)
• Hassles score correlated health status moreso
than life events DeLongisET AL (1982)

21. Workplace
• Define workplace stress
• APFC the study of Marmot
• APFC the study of Johansson
• 3 detailed AO2 points on the workplace as a
source of stress

22. 1. Define workplace stress
Workplace stress is stress which can be found
within the workplace. Can be due to:
- Physical environment
- Work overload
- Lack of control

23. 2. APFC the study of Marmot et al
(1991)
• 3 year longitudinal study
• 3000 Whitehall civil servants, measuring job
control, and stress related illness.
• People with low job control (DAD) (where aspects
of their job were determined by others) were
four times more likely to die by a heart attack
than those with more job control (MUM) (i.e self
employed)
• Job control and illness were negatively correlated.
• Supported by Van der Doef and Maes (1998) who
found that high job demands and low control is
associated with increased heart disease.

24. 3. APFC the study of Johansson et al
(1978)
Aim:
To investigate whether repetitive jobs, and high levels of responsibility increased
stress.
Procedure:
• ‘High risk group’ – 14 Swedish wood finishers, in a sawmill. Their work was fast
paced, isolated, and very repetitive.
• ‘Low risk group’ - 10 cleaners, whose work was varied, and allowed more
socialising.
• Adrenaline and nonadrenaline were tested in urine samples on work days and rest
days.
Findings:
• High risk group secreted more ad and non-ad on work days thant the low riskers.
• Also, High Risk showed higher levels of stress related illness such as headaches.
Conclusions:
Repetitiveness, and high levels of responsibility cause lots of stress.
To reduce stress, bosses should introduce more variety into their work, and allow
them to build their own sense of pace.

25. 3. Johansson et al (1978) – AO2
• Objective – hormones are • Individual differences are
tested, which is a not controlled. Maybe
scientific test. people with ‘Type A’
• High ecological validity, as behaviour chose the fast
tested in their ACTUAL paced jobs.
work settings. • Does not identify which
of the work stressors is
the most stressful.
• Ethnocentric, at a
SWEDISH sawmill.
• Small sample size.

26. Personality
1. Define Type A and B personality
2. APFC Friedman and Rosenman (1974)
3. 3 detailed AO2 points on the research of
Friedman and Roseman (1974)
4. Define hardiness
5. Explain what Kobasa tells us about Hardiness

27. 1. Personality types:
Type A
• Aggressive Type B
• Frantic • Relaxed
• Competitive • Laid-back
• Self-critical • Calmer
• Hostile
Research includes:
Williams et al (2003) 15 year
study focused on young BALANCE = TYPE X
individuals that showed Type
A personality. They found
that hostility and impatience
could lead to heart attacks,
and other cardiovascular
disease.

28. 2. APFC Friedman and Rosenman
(1974)
Aim:
Investigate links between Type A personality and
cardiovascular disease.
Procedures:
3200 Californian men, between 39 and 59. Split into
• Type A
• Type X
• Or Type B personalities
Followed up for 8 and a half years (longitudinal study)
Findings:
Approx. 250men had developed CHD, 70% were Type
A.
Could be linked to external factors such as smoking,
and obesity also.
Conclusion:
Type A behaviours increased risks of CHD.

29. 3 detailed AO2 points on the research
of Friedman and Roseman (1974)
• Large sample size.
• Could be affected by
other variables such as
HARDINESS, or obesity.
• Cause and effect can’t be
assumed.
• Ethnocentric, only
Californian’s.
• Androcentric, only men.
• Longitudinal study – could
suffer from attrition.

30. 4. Define hardiness
A range of personality characteristics that
provide defence against the negative effects of
stress.

31. 5. Explain what Kobasa tells us about
Hardiness
1. Belief you control what
happens in your life.
2. Commitment: A sense of
involvement in the world.
3. Challenge: seeing life
changes as opportunities.
His studies were mostly
done on men though.

32. Psychological Treatments
1. Explain Meichenbaum’s stress inoculation
treatment
2. Explain Kobasa’s Hardiness training
3. 3 detailed AO2 points of psychological
treatments for stress

33. 1. Explain Meichenbaum’s stress
inoculation treatment
• Form of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy)
• Meichenbaum 1983.
• ‘dealing with stress’
1. Conceptualisation – Imagine the
situation, and why is was stressful.
2. Skills training and practise – Taught relaxation
techniques.
3. Real-life application – Patients are allowed to
go out to the real world and put their skills to
the test.

34. 2. Explain Kobasa’s Hardiness training
• 3 Stages – similar to inoculation training by
Meichenbaum 1983.
1. Focusing – Encouraged to spot signs of stress.
2. Relieving stress encounters – Analyse
stressful situations & how they were
resolved.
3. Self improvement – The BELIEF that you can
cope in situations.

35. 3. 3 detailed AO2 points of
psychological treatments for stress
• Kobasa’s studies often
used white, middle-class
businessmen. = Not
generalisable.
• There are few systematic
studies.
• Systems of coping can be
difficult to learn – not
suited for everybody.
• Reductionist – splitting
dealing with stress into 3
categories.

36. Biological Treatments
1. Explain the biological processes involved with
BZ’s as a treatment of stress
2. Describe biofeedback
3. 3 detailed AO2 points of biological
treatments for stress

37. 1. Explain the biological processes
involved with BZ’s as a treatment of
stress
• BZ’s target stress.
• They react with GABA-receptors.
• They enhance the actions of the natural brain
chemical, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).
• GABA tells the neurons to slow down. This
affects 40% of neurons, which gently slows the
brain.

38. 2. Describe biofeedback
• Records the activity of Physiological signals recorded
e.g. BP/heart rate
the psychological
Via electrodes.
systems of the body.
E.g. heart
rate/BP/tension in the
neck. Signals amplified and
• Recorded by displayed to client.
electrodes.
• Patients encouraged to
try stress relieving Client uses relaxation
activities such as imagery, to reduce BP and
muscle tension.
muscle relaxation or

39. 3. 3 detailed AO2 points of biological
treatments for stress (e.g. BZs)
• Speedy and effective – • Long-term use can lead
in hormones, so it’s to dependency.
objective. • Side effects such as
• HIDALGO ET AL 2001 – drowsiness and
found that BZ’s were memory loss.
more effective than • Only targets symptoms,
antidepressants. not causes.
• Drugs can be prescribed
easily and quickly.