Psychology Concepts: Stress As A Psychological Process
Summary
TLDRThe script delves into the biological underpinnings of stress, highlighting the fight-or-flight response. It explains how the thalamus, amygdala, and hypothalamus work in tandem to prepare the body for immediate action in the face of danger. The sympathetic nervous system and adrenal glands are activated, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to increase energy and focus. This response also involves the constriction of veins and the suppression of non-essential functions, ensuring the body is primed for a quick defense or escape.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Stress is a response to demands that exceed our coping abilities, involving both psychological and biological factors.
- 🏃♂️ The 'fight-or-flight' response, coined by Walter Bradford Cannon, is a biological reaction to immediate danger, preparing us to confront or escape threats.
- 👀 The thalamus processes sensory information and sends it to both the amygdala and sensory cortices for immediate and detailed analysis.
- 🔁 The amygdala acts quickly to initiate responses, while the cortex can override it if a threat is deemed non-existent, cancelling the response.
- 🚨 The hypothalamus links the nervous and endocrine systems, activating the sympathetic nervous system for immediate stress reactions.
- 💓 The sympathetic nervous system triggers various bodily responses, including pupil dilation for better vision, increased heart rate, and lung dilation for more oxygen.
- 🚀 The adrenal medulla releases epinephrine and norepinephrine into the bloodstream, stimulating organs and increasing blood sugar for quick energy.
- 🔄 The adrenal cortex, activated by the pituitary gland's ACTH, releases hormones that prepare the body for a prolonged stress response.
- 💪 Hormones from the adrenal cortex cause veins to constrict in the skin, enhancing blood flow to muscles, and tense them for action.
- 🛑 Non-essential systems like digestion and immune response are temporarily shut down to conserve energy for the body's defense mechanisms.
- 🔍 The script emphasizes the intricate interplay between different parts of the brain and the body's hormonal systems in managing stress.
Q & A
What is stress and how does it affect us?
-Stress is a response to demands that exceed our ability to cope. It's not only psychological but also involves a significant biological component, affecting our ability to respond to danger or threats.
Who coined the term 'fight-or-flight response'?
-American physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon coined the term 'fight-or-flight response' to describe our body's reaction to a perceived threat.
What is the role of the thalamus in the stress response?
-The thalamus relays visual, auditory, and touch information to other parts of the brain. When sensing danger, it sends this information to both the amygdala and the relevant sensory cortices.
How does the amygdala respond to a potential threat?
-The amygdala acts immediately to ensure a quick response to danger. If the sensory cortex determines there is no real threat, it sends a message back to the amygdala to cancel the fight-or-flight response.
What is the hypothalamus and what does it do during stress?
-The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that links our nervous and endocrine systems. It activates two systems to prepare us for fight-or-flight: the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system.
What is the sympathetic nervous system and its effects on the body during stress?
-The sympathetic nervous system activates the body to deal with a stressful situation. It causes various effects such as pupil dilation for better vision, increased heart rate, and the release of stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine.
What hormones are released by the adrenal medulla during the fight-or-flight response?
-The adrenal medulla releases hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) into the bloodstream during the fight-or-flight response.
What is the role of the adrenal cortex in the stress response?
-The adrenal cortex is activated by the pituitary gland's release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which in turn is stimulated by the hypothalamus's release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). The adrenal cortex releases around 30 hormones, most importantly cortisol, to prepare the body for a prolonged response to danger.
How do the effects of cortisol help in a prolonged stress response?
-Cortisol and other hormones released by the adrenal cortex prepare us for a prolonged response to danger by constricting veins in the skin for improved blood flow to muscles, making muscles tense and energized, and shutting down non-essential systems like digestion and the immune response to free up energy for defense.
What is the role of the liver in the body's stress response?
-The liver plays a role in the stress response by producing glucose to increase blood sugar levels, which quickly supplies the body with more energy during a stressful situation.
How does the body's stress response affect non-essential systems during a stressful situation?
-Non-essential systems like digestion and the immune response are shut down to conserve energy and redirect it towards the body's defense mechanisms during a stress response.
Outlines
🛡️ Fight-or-Flight Response Mechanism
This paragraph delves into the biological stress response, particularly the fight-or-flight reaction. It explains how the brain prepares the body to react to danger by engaging the thalamus, amygdala, and sensory cortex. The amygdala's immediate response is contrasted with the sensory cortex's analytical approach. The hypothalamus's role in activating the sympathetic nervous system and the release of stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine is highlighted. These hormones stimulate organs and increase blood sugar for quick energy. The adrenal cortex's activation and the release of hormones like cortisol for a prolonged stress response are also covered, detailing the body's physical changes in preparation for defense or escape.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Stress
💡Fight-or-flight response
💡Thalamus
💡Amygdala
💡Hypothalamus
💡Sympathetic nervous system
💡Epinephrine (Adrenaline)
💡Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline)
💡Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)
💡Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
💡Adrenal cortex
Highlights
Stress is a response to demands that exceed our coping ability, involving both psychological and biological factors.
The fight-or-flight response is a biological reaction to danger, preparing us to defend or escape.
Walter Bradford Cannon coined the term 'fight-or-flight response'.
The thalamus relays sensory information to the brain during a perceived threat.
The amygdala acts immediately to prepare for a quick response to danger.
The sensory cortex and hippocampus analyze the threat, with the cortex potentially canceling the fight-or-flight response if it's not real.
The hypothalamus links the nervous and endocrine systems, activating the fight-or-flight response.
The sympathetic nervous system is activated to deal with a stressful situation.
The adrenal medulla releases hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine into the bloodstream.
Stress hormones stimulate organs, increasing blood sugar and energy supply for the body.
The adrenal cortical system is activated by the hypothalamus releasing corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF).
The pituitary gland releases ACTH in response to CRF, activating the adrenal cortex.
The adrenal cortex releases hormones that prepare the body for a prolonged response to danger.
Hormones from the adrenal cortex cause constriction of veins in the skin and tension in muscles.
Non-essential systems like digestion and the immune response may shut down to conserve energy for defense.
Transcripts
we all feel stress a response to demands
that exceed our ability to cope it's not
only psychological biology plays a major
role in the stress response the most
recognizable biological stress response
is how we react to danger when we are
frightened by a sudden threat real or
suspected our brain quickly prepares us
to act American physiologist Walter
Bradford cannon coined the term the
fight-or-flight response for this
reaction since it prepares us to defend
ourselves from attack or to escape
danger by running away the thalamus
relays visual auditory and touch
information to other parts of the brain
when we sense something dangerous the
thalamus sends this information to both
the amygdala and the relevant sensory
cortices while the sensory cortex
analyzes the information with help from
the hippocampus the amygdala acts
immediately making sure we can respond
quickly
if the cortex works out there isn't
really a threat it sends a message back
to the amygdala to cancel the
fight-or-flight response
the amygdala signal goes to the
hypothalamus the part of the brain which
links our nervous and endocrine systems
together the hypothalamus activates two
systems to prepare us for
fight-or-flight the sympathetic nervous
system activates the body to deal with a
stressful situation nerve impulses
activate smooth muscles in organs
throughout the body with many effects
our pupils dilate helping us to see
clearly our heart beats harder and
structures in our lungs dilate
increasing oxygen to the body impulses
also tell the adrenal medulla part of
the adrenal glands to release the
hormones epinephrine also known as
adrenaline and norepinephrine also known
as nor adrenaline into the bloodstream
these stress hormones further stimulate
the organs including the liver which
produces glucose to increase blood sugar
this quickly supplies the body with more
energy
at the same time the adrenal cortical
system is activated the hypothalamus
releases corticotropin-releasing factor
C RF to stimulate the pituitary gland
the pituitary gland our major endocrine
organ responds to the CRF by releasing
adrenocorticotropic hormone or ACTH into
the bloodstream this in turn activates
the adrenal cortex another part of the
adrenal glands they release around 30
hormones most importantly quarters off
these hormones prepare us for a
prolonged response to danger their
effects include constriction of veins in
the skin allowing improved blood flow to
major muscles muscles becoming tense and
energized and non-essential systems like
digestion and the immune response
shutting down to free up energy for
defense
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