Anorexia nervosa
An eating disorder
characterized by an excessive
fear of becoming fat and thus a
refusal to eat. (See page 494)
Biopsychosocial model
A model of health that
integrates the effects of
biological, behavioral, and
social factors on health and
illness. (See page 471)
Body mass index (BMI)
A ratio of body weight to height,
used to measure obesity. (See
page 489)
Buffering hypothesis
The idea that other people can
provide direct emotional
support in helping individuals
cope with stressful events. (See
page 504)
Bulimia nervosa
An eating disorder
characterized by dieting, binge
eating, and purging. (See page
495)
Coping response
Any response an organism
makes to avoid, escape from,
or minimize an aversive
stimulus. (See page 476)
Emotion-focused coping
A type of coping in which
people try to prevent having an
emotional response to a
stressor. (See page 484)
Fight-or-flight response
The physiological preparedness
of animals to deal with danger.
(See page 478)
General adaptation syndrome
A consistent pattern of
responses to stress that
consists of three stages: alarm,
resistance, and exhaustion.
(See page 480)
Health psychology
A field that integrates research
on health and on psychology; it
involves the application of
psychological principles to
promote health and well-being.
(See page 470)
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
(HPA) axis
The biological system
responsible for the stress
response. (See page 478)
Oxytocin
A hormone that is important for
mothers in bonding to
newborns and may encourage
affiliation during social stress.
(See page 479)
Immune system
The body's mechanism for
dealing with invading
microorganisms, such as
allergens, bacteria, and viruses.
(See page 480)
Placebo effect
An improvement in health
following treatment with a
placebo -- that is, with a drug
or treatment that has no
apparent physiological effect on
the health condition for which it
was prescribed. (See page 474)
Primary appraisals
Part of the coping process that
involves making decisions
about whether a stimulus is
stressful, benign, or irrelevant.
(See page 484)
Problem-focused coping
A type of coping in which
people take direct steps to
confront or minimize a stressor.
(See page 484)
Secondary appraisals
Part of the coping process
during which people evaluate
their response options and
choose coping behaviors. (See
page 484)
Stress
A pattern of behavioral,
psychological, and
physiological responses to
events, when the events match
or exceed the organism's ability
to respond in a healthy way.
(See page 476)
Stressor
An environmental event or
stimulus that threatens an
organism. (See page 476)
Tend-and-befriend response
Type A behavior pattern
Females' tendency to protect
and care for their offspring and
form social alliances rather than
flee or fight in response to
threat. (See page 479)
A pattern of behavior
characterized by
competitiveness, achievement
orientation, aggressiveness,
hostility, restlessness,
impatience with others, and
inability to relax. (See page
482)
Type B behavior pattern
A pattern of behavior
characterized by
noncompetitive, relaxed,
easygoing, and accommodating
behavior. (See page 483)
Well-being
A positive state that includes
striving for optimal health and
life satisfaction. (See page 470)
Warning: not all of the key ideas
are on this list of key terms