Stress & Health Psychology Practice Questions

This video covers 10 practice multiple choice questions on stress & health psychology and includes questions related to immune function, personality, stress management, coping strategies, and more. I hope this can help you to review your knowledge and understanding, let … Read More

Stress & Health Psychology Knowledge Organizer

Here’s a knowledge organizer I’ve created of the most essential terms for stress and health psychology in an introductory psychology course. These knowledge organizers are designed to help you identify the most important factual knowledge you need to have in … Read More

Overview of Positive Psychology

In this video I describe some of the concepts of positive psychology and its emphasis on thriving, growth, and well-being. I discuss optimism, upward and downward comparison, gratitude, and the adaptation level phenomenon or hedonic treadmill, as well as how … Read More

Stress, Social Support, & The Faith Factor

In this video I describe how social support can help people to manage stress. This may come in the form of tangible support, informational support, or emotional support, though not all social interactions are beneficial for managing stress. I also … Read More

Stress Management & Physical Exercise

In this video I describe three main approaches for dealing with stress: appraisal-focused coping, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping. Next I discuss physical exercise as a means of managing stress, in addition to the many physical and cognitive benefits that … Read More

Coping, Resilience, & Post-Traumatic Growth

In this video I describe traits and techniques associated with coping with stressors. Susanne Kobasa identified commitment, challenge, and control as important factors in understanding hardiness and people who were able to thrive in stressful circumstances. Resilience in the face … Read More

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – PTSD

In this video I briefly describe the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the people most often affected by it, and research on potential risk factors for the development of PTSD, including hippocampal volume. Gilbertson et al (2002) – Smaller hippocampal … Read More

Stress & Social Hierarchy

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, it can also be the case that high status positions … Read More

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 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