Psychology in Action

Chapter 3: Health Psychology

Testing your knowledge of idioms and other vocabulary

Here are some more American idioms, words used with figurative meanings, and other vocabulary items that you may not be familiar with. Match each item in column A with the appropriate meaning given in column B. If you are unsure, look at the sentence context given below. Remember that words may have different meanings in different contexts. The meanings given here are appropriate for the contexts from your textbook, but in different contexts the words in question might have different meanings. Answers are given on pages 23-24.

COLUMN A COLUMN B a. to cheat on 1. having good intentions b. to cope with 2. to stop doing something suddenly, with no period of adjustment c. a tirade 3. to control d. a high 4. to be romantically or sexually unfaithful to someone e. an uphill battle 5. to call someone and leave an answering machine message, and have them do the same, without actually speaking to each other f. short-term 6. to leave something for a later time g. to go cold turkey 7. a word or phrase that is in fashion and used by certain groups of people h. a payoff 8. to accumulate i. up one's sleeves 9. exhaustion of physical or emotional strength, or motivation j. to binge 10. a state of excitement or pleasure, often caused by a drug k. at a sitting 11. relaxed, unworried l. Greek 12. a verbal outburst, usually of some length, that shows anger m. well-meaning 13. related to sororities and fraternities on college campuses n. burnout 14. to form; to constitute; to compose o. to pile up 15. on a single occasion; at one time p. a buzzword 16. to participate in an excessive and possibly harmful amount of some activity q. a bug 17. extending over a relatively short period of time r. to play phone tag 18. profit; reward; gain s. in the long run 19. to feel tense or anxious

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -15- t. to put on hold 20. a difficult struggle or fight u. full-blown 21. to attempt to live with and/or solve problems or difficulties v. to keep in check 22. over a relatively long period of time w. to be on edge 23. a malfunction; a computer virus x. laid-back 24. in an advanced condition y. to make up 25. to have information to use at the best possible moment

Sentence context a. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend cheat on you (p. 87) b. After that, we examine he numerous causes and results of stress, the role of stress in cancer and heart disease, and how people cope with stress. (p. 88) c. Today, nearly 400 years later, many people would agree with the king's tirade against the practice. (p. 89) d. For example, smokers learn to associate smoking with pleasant things, such as good food, friends, sex, and, not least, the high that nicotine gives them, so their smoking is rewarded. (p. 90) e. Prevention programs for teens face a tough uphill battle. (p. 91) f. For adolescents, the long-term health disadvantages of heart disease and cancer seem totally irrelevant, whereas smoking itself provides immediate short-term rewards from peers and the addictive, reinforcing properties of nicotine. (p. 91) g. Although some people find the easiest way for them to cope with the physical withdrawal from nicotine is to suddenly and completely stop, the success rate for this "cold turkey" approach is extremely low. (p. 91) h. No program to quit smoking will work without a tremendous amount of personal motivation, but the payoffs can be just as tremendous: a more enjoyable and longer life. (p. 91) i. Binge drinking occurs when a man consumes five or more drinks in a row or a woman consumes four or more drinks at a time. (p. 92) j. It is not normal or healthy to drink four or five drinks at a sitting, let alone to do that frequently. (p. 93)

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -16- k. Members of fraternities and sororities seem to think that drinking is part of the Greek life. (p. 93) l. In addition, well-meaning family members often ask chronic pain sufferers, "How are you feeling?" "Is the pain any better today?" (p. 94) m. The major sources of stress are life changes, chronic stressors, hassles, burnout, frustration, and conflict. (p. 96) n. In addition to chronic stressors, a great deal of daily stress is in the form of hassles, little problems of daily living that are not significant in themselves but that pile up to become a major source of stress. (p. 98) o. Although the term has become an overused buzzword, health psychologists use it to describe a specific syndrome that develops most commonly in idealistic people who are exposed to chronically stressful and emotionally draining professions. (p. 98) p. Coming across yet another bug in your new word processing program that dumps your entire term paper? (p. 100) q. Playing endless phone tag with a professor whom you want to write a recommendation for you? (p. 100) r. they make up only 10 to 15 percent of the population, but they consider technology fun and are the first to buy the latest gadget. (p. 100) s. Stress causes physiological changes that in the long run can be detrimental to health. (p. 102) t. Autonomic functioning mobilizes the body's energy resources for immediate survival by releasing hormones, such as cortisol, that put all the body's long-term processes - tissue repair, immunity, digestion, reproduction - on hold, thus making more energy available to the brain and muscles. (p. 103) u. Sheldon Cohen and colleagues (1996, 1998) have conducted studies that show stress does indeed have a small to moderate effect both on becoming infected with the cold virus and on exhibiting full-blown cold symptoms. (p. 103) v. in a, healthy person, the immune system keeping cancer cells in check. (p. 104) w. Type A personalities are chronically on edge, tend to talk rapidly, feel intense time urgency, and are preoccupied with responsibilities. (p. 106) x. The antithesis of the Type A personality is Type B. People with Type B personality have a laid-back, calm, relaxed attitude toward life. (p. 106)

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -17- y. therefore, people who acquire social skills (know appropriate behaviors for certain situations, have conversation-starters "up their sleeves ," and express themselves well) suffer less anxiety than people who do not. (p. 110)

Reviewing your knowledge of English grammar

Often in academic texts such as this, the authors relate the results of scientific research in order to support their arguments. One way to do this is to use a complex sentence structure called reported speech. In combination with a reportive verb + that, an independent clause follows with the information. It is important to pay close attention to verb tense: generally, if the reportive verb is in the past tense, the following clause is also written in the past tense. On the other hand, if the reportive verb is used in the present tense or the present perfect tense, the following clause is in the present tense. It is important to note that this use of verb tenses is more characteristic of the written language, and that different rules of verb correspondence are often followed in informal spoken language. Also, the word that is at times not used, even in written language (e. g., on page 89, "Until the 1970's, however, most experts believed the immune system was completely independent of the other body systems.") In each of the following examples, focus on the reportive verb used, the reportive verb's meaning, and the relationship of the verb to the information that follows:

A recent national survey of middle schools, grades 6 to 8, found that one in eight students were experimenting with some form of tobacco, such as cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco (Kaufman, 2000).

He mentioned to Friedman that all the chairs looked like new except for the front edges, which were badly worn, as if all the patients sat only on the edges of the chairs.

Holmes and Rahe believed that change, of any kind, that required some adjustment in behavior or lifestyle caused stress.

Several recent research projects have also indicated that nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter most closely related to reward centers in the brain (Dewey et al., 1999; Di Chiara, 2000).

Researchers (Doby & Caplan, 1995) have documented that stress at work can also cause serious stress at home not only for workers but for other family members as well.

The evidence clearly shows that nicotine is a powerful addictive drug, comparable to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol (Pahlavan, Bonnet, & Duda, 2000; Pich et al., 1997; Stolerman & Jarvis, 1995).

In addition to the common cold, we now know that many far more serious diseases are either caused by or made far worse by stress, including heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -18- arthritis, bursitis, migraine headache, asthma, and gastrointestinal conditions such as ulcers and colitis (American Cancer Society, 2000; Metalsky, 2000; Sapolsky, 1998).

There are many other reportive verbs in addition to the ones used in the examples above, including state, discover, note, prove, argue, point out, conclude, suggest, report, demonstrate, and postulate. To practice the formation of this type of sentence, convert the statements below to reportive statements. Be sure to pay close attention to verb tenses and use a variety of reportive verbs. When you are finished, you may check your answers in the answer key section.

Over the last century, life expectancy for Americans of all races and genders born in 1997 hit an all-time high of 76.5 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2000).

______

Social pressures and physical addiction combine to create additional benefits for smokers. (Lazev, Herzog, & Brandon, 1999).

______

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -19- Any program designed to help smokers break their habit must combat the social rewards of smoking as well as the physical addiction to nicotine (Noble, 2000).

______

Pain is the major symptom reported in over 80 percent of all visits to physicians (Turk, 1994). ______

______

Even the stress of chronic aircraft noise is associated with measurable hormonal and cardiac changes (Evans et al., 1995).

______

Finding key information

A structure which is commonly used by authors to organize information in paragraphs is an umbrella statement at the beginning of a text section that briefly identifies several key elements, followed by brief sections that expand each key element with a general explanation and specific supporting examples. Study the chart below after reading through the section under the heading "Sources of Stress: From Major Life Changes to Minor Hassles" on pages 96-99. Can you see how the authors structured and sequenced their arguments?

Although stress is pervasive in our lives, some things cause more stress than others. The major sources of stress are life changes, chronic stressors, hassles and burnout, frustration, and conflict.

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -20- Life Changes Chronic Stressors Hassles/Burnout Frustrations Conflicts Such major Long-term events Little problems of A negative Being forced to changes disrupt different from life daily living that are emotional state make a choice our lives and causechanges not significant in generally associatedbetween at least more stress than themselves but that with a blocked goal two incompatible normal pile up to become a alternatives major source of stress Marriage, death of A bad marriage, Getting to work or Being refused a Approach-approach a family member, poor working school on time, loan after having (e. g., two summer moving to a new conditions, an finding a parking found just the right jobs); avoidance- home, getting (or intolerable political place, fighting car, or not being avoidance (e. g., losing) a job climate, chronic traffic jams, accepted for Sophie's Choice); aircraft noise, job scheduling conflicts, admission to your approach- performance, gossip, increasing first-choice college avoidance (e. g., divorce, child and prices close relationship spouse abuse, vs. time with alcoholism, money friends) problems

Now, read the section in your textbook on pages 110-111 under the heading "Resources for Effective Coping: From Good Health to Money." Fill in the figure on the next page. Note that space is provided for only five of the seven key elements. When you are finished, you may check your answers in the answer key section.

Positive Beliefs Social Skills Social Support Material Resources Personal Control

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -21- Examining structural clues

Writers use many ways to signal the addition of more information to the elements and ideas that are already present. In addition to the special grammar structures, sentence connectors and transition words can be used to signal when more information is being presented. Effective and efficient readers can easily identify these signal words, called additives, so that comprehension and note taking are facilitated. Look at the sentences below, and determine which information is being added, and also the sentence structure used in each instance.

 Health psychologists also educate the general public about health maintenance. This use of also indicates that at least one other responsibility of health psychologists has already been mentioned.

 Psychologists develop and administer programs to help people learn how to cope with chronic problems as well as unhealthful behaviors, such as lack of assertiveness and aggression. Unhealthful behaviors are being "added" to the list of chronic problems which psychologists help people with.

 In such cases, psychologists may initiate a behavior modification program not only for the patients but also for their families and friends. But also signals that families and friends are also involved in behavior modification programs.

 Another approach used to alter people's focus on pain is hypnosis. Another tells you clearly that at least one other way to help people deal with pain has already been stated.

 In addition, smoking prevention programs that focus on psychosocial factors have been developed. In addition indicates to you that this information about smoking prevention programs is being "added" to information presented just previously.

 These social factors, combined with the fact that the smoker is now addicted to the nicotine, make smoking an especially hard habit to break. The fact about the addiction is "added to", combined with the social factors already mentioned.

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -22- Locate 5 sentences in this chapter in the book which contain examples of these additives (connectors and other transition words), and write the sentences in the spaces below. Study your sentences. What information is being added? Highlight the connector additives that clarify the relationships among elements in the sentences, and think about how the additives are used in each sentence.

1. ______

______

2. ______

______

3. ______

______

4. ______

______

5. ______

______

Answer key

Testing your knowledge of idioms and other vocabulary a. 4; b. 21; c. 12; d. 10; e. 20; f. 17; g. 2; h. 18; i. 25; j. 16; k. 15; l. 13; m. 1; n. 9; o. 8; p. 7; q. 23; r. 5; s. 22; t. 6; u. 24; v. 3; w. 19; x. 11; y. 14

Reviewing your knowledge of English grammar

1. The National Center for Health Statistics (2000) demonstrated that over the last century, life expectancy for Americans of all races and genders born in 1997 hit an all- time high of 76.5.

2. Lazev, Herzog, & Brandon (1999) show that social pressures and physical addiction combine to create additional benefits for smokers.

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -23- 3. Noble (2000) finds that any program designed to help smokers break their habit must combat the social rewards of smoking as well as the physical addiction to nicotine.

4. Turk (1994) discovered that pain was the major symptom reported in over 80 percent of all visits to physicians.

5. Evans, et al. believed that even the stress of chronic aircraft noise was associated with measurable hormonal and cardiac changes.

Finding key information

* Researchers have identified several important coping resources for people dealing with stress: health and energy, positive beliefs, social skills, social support, material resources, and personal control over the events in one's life.

Positive beliefs Social skills Social support Material resources Personal control A positive self these help us social support can these can increase a high internal locus image and interact effectively, help offset the the number of of control gives a positive attitude communicate our stressful effects of options available to person a feeling of can be especially needs and desires, difficult eliminate sources of control over the significant copingget help from circumstances stress or reduce the events in their life resources others when we effects of stress need it, and decrease hostility in tense situations. A rise in self- know appropriate friends, family, people with money adopt more positive esteem reduces behaviors for special groups for who face minor coping strategies, be the amount of certain situations, alcoholics and theirhassles, chronic more sensitive to anxiety caused have conversation families, for formerstressors, or major health messages, be by stressful starters available, drug addicts, for catastrophes, who more likely to take events; hope canbe able to express divorced people, have the skills to actions to improve come from a oneself well for single parents, use the money their health; belief in oneself, for cancer patients,experience less or others for parents who stress than people (medical have had a young without money doctors), or in a child die just and helpful god.

Examining structural clues

Answers will vary.

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -24-