Question 1

Fredrickson (2009) has suggested two steps in explaining why positive emotions are so effective in coping. Those two steps are that positive emotions

Accepted Answer

Fredrickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory suggests that positive emotions broaden our awareness and encourage novel, varied, and exploratory thoughts and actions. Over time, this broadened behavioral repertoire helps to build personal resources, such as social connections, physical skills, and psychological resilience.

Question 2

Self-awareness theory suggests that self-focus

Accepted Answer

Self-awareness theory posits that focusing on oneself leads to an increased awareness of personal behaviors and characteristics, including one's shortcomings. This heightened self-focus makes individuals more aware of how they deviate from their ideal self, thus bringing personal shortcomings into sharp focus.

Question 3

In the Pennebaker (1997) experiments on the effects of disclosing secret feelings and thoughts, it was found that the participants'

Accepted Answer

In the Pennebaker (1997) experiments, it was observed that participants' systolic blood pressure levels rose during the disclosures but then later dipped below their preexperiment levels, indicating a stress response followed by a relaxation effect.

Question 4

Upon discovering that she has lung cancer, Mary blames the illness on her low intelligence and her general lack of willpower, both of which she thinks prevented her from quitting smoking. The blame she assigns herself is ____________, and it is likely to ____________ her sense of future control.

Accepted Answer

Mary is attributing her lung cancer to internal, stable aspects of her character (low intelligence, lack of willpower), which is a characterological attribution. This type of self-blame is likely to decrease her sense of future control because it suggests she cannot change these aspects of herself.

Question 5

Katarina is on a plane that has been hijacked. Assuming she will be in this situation for an extended period of time, which of the following coping strategies to alleviate her stress would probably be least effective?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Katarina is on a plane that has...

Question 6

According to Peter Salovey (1992), awareness of the self increases as a result of moods that are

Accepted Answer

According to Peter Salovey (1992), awareness of the self increases as a result of moods that are either positive or negative. This concept suggests that strong emotions, regardless of their valence, can lead to greater self-reflection and awareness.

Question 7

Pressman and Cohen (2012) analyzed writings of highly influential, deceased psychologists and found that the use of ____________ emotion words in writing was associated with longevity.

Accepted Answer

Positive high-arousal emotion words, such as "joy" and "excitement," were associated with longevity.

Question 8

What is the best analogy for the experience of catharsis?

Accepted Answer

Catharsis involves the release of pent-up emotions, similar to how taking the lid off a boiling pot of water allows steam to escape, preventing overflow.

Question 9

What is the term that Freud used to refer to a discharging of tension that can act to reduce the discomfort that is caused by stress?

Accepted Answer

Freud used the term "catharsis" to describe the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions, which can act to reduce the discomfort caused by stress.

Question 10

After September 11, 2001, Fredrickson and colleagues (2003) contacted students who had previously taken part in a study on stress and coping. She found that the most resilient of the students were the ones who, among other things, developed a

Accepted Answer

Fredrickson's research found that resilience in the face of stress, such as the events of September 11, was associated with the ability to maintain a positive outlook and an interest in life, including a general interest in unfolding world events, rather than negative emotions or specific reactive measures.

Question 11

The rebound effect in thought suppression disappears when people

Accepted Answer

Engaging in focused distraction is a technique that helps in diverting one's attention away from the thoughts they are trying to suppress, thereby reducing the rebound effect where suppressed thoughts come back more intensely.

Question 12

Regarding confession, research reveals that it is helpful to open up so long as the source you confess to is

Accepted Answer

Confessing to a source that is validating helps individuals feel supported and understood, which can be therapeutic and beneficial for emotional well-being. Validation from the listener makes the person confessing feel accepted and less judged, which is crucial for the positive effects of confession.

Question 13

The principal cognitive benefit of opening up and sharing stressful experiences with others is known as

Accepted Answer

Sharing stressful experiences can lead to insight, which helps individuals understand their emotions and situations better, leading to cognitive benefits.

Question 14

Michael, an academically gifted teenager, is devastated that he does not have any sporting skills. He dwells on the belief that he has failed terribly and overanalyzes his lack of athletic abilities; he then falls into a deep depression. This outcome is most consistent with

Accepted Answer

The self-focusing model suggests that individuals who focus excessively on themselves and their perceived shortcomings can become depressed. Michael's overanalysis of his lack of athletic skills aligns with this model.

Question 15

Which of the following statements about the coping strategies of distraction and suppression is false ?

Accepted Answer

Distraction typically results in a lower cardiovascular response compared to suppression, as suppression involves actively trying to inhibit thoughts or emotions, which can increase stress and physiological responses.

Question 16

Characterological self-blame reduces future control because it is a(n) ____________ attribution.

Accepted Answer

Characterological self-blame is considered a stable, internal attribution because it involves blaming one's own character or personality traits for negative outcomes, which are seen as constant (stable) and within oneself (internal). This can reduce feelings of future control because the individual may believe that their inherent traits, which they see as unchangeable, will continue to cause negative outcomes.

Question 17

When uncontrollable life events are especially traumatic, it tends to be healthier to

Accepted Answer

Opening up to trusted others can provide emotional support, reduce stress, and help process traumatic events, which is healthier than keeping things to oneself.

Question 18

Research on thought suppression shows that

Accepted Answer

Suppressing the display of emotion is physiologically taxing because it requires effort and energy to inhibit emotional responses, leading to increased stress and potential health consequences.

Question 19

Positive emotions such as joy help people cope with adversity by

Accepted Answer

The answer of Positive emotions such as joy help people...

Question 20

Kelley spends a lot of time focusing on herself. Her psychological health could be threatened if this self-focus leads to

Accepted Answer

Rumination about problems, which involves continuously thinking about the same thoughts, particularly problems and distresses, can negatively impact psychological health by fostering negative emotions and preventing problem-solving.

Quiz 14: Health