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Health Psychology
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The branch of Psychology that invetigates the psychological factors related to wellness and illness, including the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of medical problems
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Stress
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A person's response to events that are threatening or challenging
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Psychophysiological disorders
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Medical problems influenced by an interaction of psychological, emotional and physical difficulties
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General adaptation syndrome (GAS)
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A theory developed by selye that suggests that a person's response to a stressor consists of three stages; alarm and mobilization, resistance, and exhaustion
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Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
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The study of the relationship among psychological factors, the immune system and the brain
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Cataclysmic Events
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Strong Stressors that occur suddenly, affecting many people at once
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Personal Stressors
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Major life events, such as death of a family member, that have immediate negative consequences that generally fade with time
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Posttramatic Stress Disorder
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A phenomenon in which victims of major catasrophes or strong personal stressors feel long-lasting effects that may include reexperiencing the event in vivid flahbacks or dreams
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Background Stressors
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Everyday annoyances, such as being stuck in traffics, that causes minor irritations and may have long term ill effects if they continue or are compounded by other stressful events
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Uplifts
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Minor positive events that make one feel good
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Learned Helplessness
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A state in which people conclude that unpleasant or aversive stimuli cannot be controlled- a view of the world that becomes so ingrained that they cease trying to remedy the aversive circumstances, even if they actually can exert some influence
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Coping
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Efforts to control, reduce, or learn to tolerate the threats that lead to stress
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Hardiness
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A personality characteristic associated with a lower rate if stress-related illness, consisting of three components: commitment, challenge, and control
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Social Support
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A mutual network of caring, interested others
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Type A behavior pattern
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A pattern of behavior characterized by competitiveness, impatience, a tendency toward frustration, and hostility
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