Standard Area: Stress Coping, and Health

Standard Area: Stress, Coping, and Health

Standard Area: Stress, Coping, and Health

CONTENTS STANDARDS
After concluding this unit, students understand:
1. Sources of stress
2. Physiological reactions to stress
3. Psychological reactions to stress
4. Cognitive and behavioral strategies for dealing with stress and promoting health

Content Standards With Performance Standards and Suggested Performance Indicators
CONTENT STANDARD 1: Sources of stress
Students are able to (performance standards):
1.1 Identify and explain major sources of stress. Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):
• Defining frustration and giving examples of how it can be a source of stress
• Relating results of early research about stress effects on animals
• Explaining and giving examples of approach-approach, approach-avoidance, and avoidance-avoidance conflicts
• Explaining how the hassles of contemporary life are a source of stress
• Discussing how our cognitive appraisal of situations can cause stress
• Exploring how challenges in work environments, such as violence, harassment, and downsizing, can increase stress reactions
• Examining the impact of discrimination from sexism, heterosexism, racism, ageism, and so on
• Examining the impact of discrimination on persons who are visible immigrants by accent or phenotype
• Describing the impact of poverty on levels of daily stress

CONTENT STANDARD 2: Physiological reactions to stress
Students are able to (performance standards):
2.1 List and explain possible physiological reactions to stress.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):
• Comparing the results of initial fight or flight experiments with animals to human stress reactions
• Describing Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
• Describing how stress can affect the immune system

CONTENT STANDARD 3: Psychological reactions to stress
Students are able to (performance standards):
3.1 List and explain possible psychological reactions to stress.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):
• Relating personal examples of how stress can impair psychological functioning in such areas as work, school, and relationships
• Explaining how stress can affect neurotransmitter function, mood states, and immunity to illness
• Describing how stress may have positive outcomes
• Discussing how cultural differences can influence one’s reaction to stress

CONTENT STANDARD 4: Cognitive and behavioral strategies for dealing with stress and promoting health
Students are able to (performance standards):

4.1 Identify and explain cognitive strategies to deal with stress and promote health.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):
• Describing how the use of problem solving and other cognitive strategies may help to cope with stress and promote health
• Explaining how person versus situation attributions for life events can influence one’s response to stressors and promote health

4.2 Identify and explain behavioral strategies to deal with stress and promote health.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):
• Explaining how defense mechanisms, regular exercise, relaxation, spiritual practices, and social support can help to alleviate some negative effects of stress and promote health
• Brainstorming ways in which changing behavior may alleviate some negative effects of stress and promote health
• Identifying behavioral strategies for coping with stress that can negatively influence health, such as smoking and substance abuse
• Discussing the pros and cons of seeking professional help to cope with stress