Health - Final Exam

Abraham Maslow

American psychologist and philosopher best known for his self-actualization theory of psychology, which argued that the primary goal of psychotherapy should be the integration of the self.

Hierarchy of needs

made by Maslow; categorizes and shows how human needs progress, the most basic needs must be met before higher-level needs.

Identity

Characteristics and qualities that distinguish who a person is

Components of Identity

Core Values and beliefs / Personality / Physical Identity / Gender Identity / Social Identity / Cultural and Ethnic Identity.

Core values

part of identity that describe what a person believes and finds important; these guide personal behaviors and choices, key part of your identity; Ex: Freedom, Honesty, Stability, Kindness.

Personality

Combination of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique; these influence how you think about the world, what activities you like, and how you respond to setbacks and disappointments.

Physical Identity

characteristics including race, age, height, weight, hair and eye color, biological sex and physical abilities.

Biological sex

label assigned at birth based on physical factors such as hormones, chromosomes and genitalia.

Gender

behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits and roles society associates with biological sex; The societal perception of feminine or masculine traits as the whole of a person’s identity is unrealistic; Typically people have some feminine and some masculine traits.

Gender stereotypes

preconceived ideas, roles, and characteristics people associate with a certain gender; These influence how people view themselves and others and can lead to unfair treatment of a specific gender.

Social Identity

One’s connection to other people, including family members, and friends. It also includes the role you play in your community and your relationships with other cultural and socioeconomic groups; This includes your role among friends, religious practices, political beliefs, country of origin, place of residence and family connections; This impacts the holidays you celebrate, the foods you prefer, and community groups and organizations to which you belong.

Cultural and ethnic identity

One’s connection to different cultural or ethnic groups; It influences things like: languages you speak, your traditions and beliefs, and the foods you eat.

Ethnicity

one’s connection to a particular social group that shares similar cultural or national ties.

Identity Formation

process of discovering and establishing one’s identity through physical, cognitive, and social changes; Begins during childhood and continues throughout your entire life Children focus on: height,hair and eye color, activities while Teens focus on social identity, unique thoughts and feelings(personal values,beliefs, interests, personality traits and attitude).

Erik Erikson

a psychologist that says figuring out your identity is the primary task of adolescence; He believed that people must develop a sense of who they are before they are ready to join with another person in an intimate relationship; By exploring different interests , values and beliefs now you will learn more about who you are; Over time, your identity will grow and change as you mature and develop new interests.

Self image

your mental picture of yourself; your abilities,appearance, and personality based on experiences and interactions with others; it develops gradually starting in childhood. It is influenced by your experiences and interactions with others.

Self-esteem

confidence in one’s own worth and abilities; describes how you feel about yourself; It can change with life experiences and new understanding; It has a major impact on many different aspects of your life: it affects how well you do in school, how easily you make friends, and how you manage disappointments and frustrations.

Benefits of High self-esteem

accepts criticism, cope with frustration, asks for help, is responsible, etc.

Risks of Low self-esteem

insecure, avoids new activities, changes around others, filled with regret, etc.

Ways to improve self-esteem

know your strengths and weaknesses, celebrate success, avoid perfectionism, prioritize, positive mindset, etc.

Stress

the body’s physical and psychological reaction to situations people perceive as threats; unavoidable, everyone experiences it at times; If managed properly can be beneficial; It can cause a physiological arousal; In this state people have extra energy to help them perform at their best. It can motivate people to learn and grow.

Stressor

factors that lead to stress; they can be major or minor events (school, relationships, technology, etc).

Chronic stress

stress that continues over a long period of time.

Eustress

positive stress that encourages growth and motivation.

Distress

stress that causes negative feelings and has harmful health effects.

Trauma

extreme stress due to deeply disturbing events, such as disasters, sexual assault or violence.

Toxic Stress

stress caused by repeated, long-lasting exposure to severe stressors, such as neglect and abuse, violence, or loss of a loved one.

Fight or flight response

A physiological stress reaction in which the body mobilizes its resources to fight off or escape from a perceived threat, also called the Stress Response; During times of stress, the body shifts energy from non essential processes, such as digestion and reproduction, to those that help the body directly respond to the challenge.

Stages of the fight or flight response

Alarm stage, resistance stage, exhaustion stage.

Alarm stage

Your body begins to prepare to fight off or escape---Heart rate, blood flow, and breathing increase to supply more blood and oxygen to your muscles, brain and vital organs; Pupils of your eyes dilate (widen) to improve your vision; Digestion and reproduction as well as any process unrelated to helping you fight off the threat will slow down.

Resistance Stage

Your body devotes energy to maintain the stress response; Heart rate and breathing rate remain rapid which helps deliver oxygen and energy quickly to the various parts of your body.

Exhaustion Stage

if the perceived threat persists, the body may continue to maintain its stress response for a long time, over time this will use up the body’s resources and lead to exhaustion.

Relaxation response

This is the opposite of the stress response---The body will gradually return to its resting state; Hormone levels return to normal and the cardiovascular system slows down, leading to a lower heart rate and blood pressure. The digestive and reproductive systems start working again.

Nervous System

body system that consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that trade information throughout the body---This system alerts your brain when your body experiences sensations such as touch and pain; it is the command center responsible for mobilizing the other systems to react to a threatening situation.

Endocrine system

body system that consists of glands, which secrete hormones to regulate body processes; The hormones travel in the bloodstream and cause changes in specific body tissues or organs.

Cardiovascular system

body system that transports blood throughout the body; consists of the heart and blood vessels, the fight or flight response causes increased this activity including a faster heart rate and higher blood pressure.

Immune System

body system consisting of organs, tissues, and cells that defend against infection; During stress, your body is focused on escaping from fighting off a specific threat. Because of this, the immune system will not be working at its best during this stressful time; This is why people sometimes get sick when they are stressed; People who experience stress over long periods of time have fewer disease fighting immune cells in their bodies which makes them more likely to experience diseases like the common cold and flu.

Digestive System

body system consisting of organs that take in foods, pass nutrients from these sources into the bloodstream, and then expel wastes from the body; During times of stress, the esophagus can spasm, and stomach acid may increase indigestion; This often leads to nausea, diarrhea, or constipation; Stress can decrease blood flow and oxygen to the stomach which can cause cramping and inflammation; Long-term stress may worsen symptoms of digestive conditions like ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Reproductive System

body system consisting of organs that work together to create new human life; is different between assigned males at birth and assigned females at birth; During times of stress, levels of some hormones will increase, but will decrease the levels of sex hormones in the body; This will result in lower levels of sperm in males, decreased ovulation in females, and reduced fertility; It can also disrupt the female’s menstrual cycle; it may cause delayed or skipped periods.

Mental and Emotional Effects of stress

Stress has significant effects on your mental and emotional health, including how well you think and reason and how you feel; As your body is physically preparing to fight off the the perceived threat, your mind is thinking of ways to resolve the challenge and manage your emotions.

Cognition

ability to think, reason, and remember.

Acute stress disorder

stress-related disorder that begins immediately after the stressful event occurs and can last from 3 days to one month; Symptoms include: feeling numb, being unaware of your surroundings, having repeated thoughts or mental images of the event, and anxiety; These symptoms interfere with a person’s ability to go about daily life.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

stress-related disorder characterized by flashbacks, feelings of numbness, and difficulty sleeping after an extremely stressful event; Characterized by a strong and lingering reaction to extreme stress and can last for many years.

Burnout

state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. Long periods of excessive stress can lead to this; A person may feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, tired, alone, unmotivated, and hopeless; They may have difficulty sleeping, and eating, and my lose interest inactivity they once enjoyed.

Stress management

the process of using strategies to reduce the impact of the stress response and handle threatening situations in positive ways; Not everyone will find the same strategies useful so you must try different strategies to see what works best for you.

Time management

the practice of devoting the appropriate amount of time to each task and prioritizing tasks so that you can reach goals and reduce stress

Medication

substance that treats disease or relieves symptoms

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

the government agency responsible for making medications are safe to use, effective, and secure from tampering.

Over the counter (OTC)

substances that can legally be sold without permission from a healthcare professional.

Prescription medication

substances that can be sold only with permission from a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional.

Medication delivery methods

Oral (taken through mouth), Topical (applied on skin), Inhaled, Liquid (not applied to the mouth or skin, i.e. eye drops) Injected.

Side effect

unintended changes that develop in response to a medication; The effects can range from minor to severe. It is important to read the labels on all OTC and prescription medications.

Drug sensitivity

increased likelihood of developing negative side effects in response to a particular substance.

Drug allergy

immune response in which the body treats a particular substance as if it is harmful to the body; can range from rashes and itching to swelling, breathing issues, and even death.

Tolerance

long-term medication use can lead to the body needing larger and larger amounts of the substance in order to achieve the same effect.

Withdrawal

stopping a medication or substance after a long time can lead to this; Symptoms include: depression, anxiety, severe fatigue, sleeplessness, and hallucinations

Medication misuse

the act of unintentionally not following the instructions for taking a medication.

Medication abuse

use of a medication in an unintended or harmful way; includes using medications for unintended purposes, sharing or selling medications, taking too much medication, or combining medications without a doctor’s approval.

Overdose

act of taking more of a substance than the body can break down at one time; can lead to serious health consequences and death.

Depressant

also called sedatives or tranquilizers; stimulate the brain to release chemicals that slow nerve activity including lower heart rate, and breathing rate; This reduces anxiety and helps a person relax, stay calm, or sleep; Examples: xanax, valium, ambien, Alcohol.

Stimulant

are substances that cause the brain to release adrenaline, which increases energy, alertness and attention; This causes increased heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. Some medications include amphetamine and methylphenidate; Caffeine/ energy drinks, cocaine and methamphetamine are these.