• Unit 9: Health and Stress Psychology

    In this unit, we focus on health and stress in the workplace and in our everyday lives more broadly. First, we define stressors, and then we connect stress and illness. As you work through this unit, think about the stressors in your life, and the coping mechanisms you use to handle them. How does the information presented here shed insight on how you handle stress? Is stress always negative?

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • describe stress, the stress process, and the physiological basis of stress;
      • explain the research on stress done by Walter Cannon and Hans Selye and how it applies to real-world situations;
      • understand how stress affects bodily functioning and illness;
      • explain how coping mechanisms help to regulate stress; and
      • understand the subfield of positive psychology and the importance of happiness.

    • 9.1: Stress and Stressors

      • Stress Page

        Watch this lecture on stress. Pay attention to physical stressors as well as psychological enhancers.

      • Psychology: "Chapter 14, Sections 1-2" URL

        Read the Introduction and first two sections of Chapter 14 to learn about stress and the stress process. Pay attention to the role of positive stress and familiarize yourself with the research by Walter Cannon and Hans Selye. After you read, you should be able to identify stressors in everyday life and in the workplace.

      • Emily Hooker and Sarah Pressman's "The Healthy Life" URL

        Read this article to familiarize yourself with the field of health psychology and its relation to medicine.

      • Stressors Page

        Watch this video on stressors. Pay attention to the 4 major categories of stressors.

    • 9.2: Stress and Illness

    • 9.3: The Regulation of Stress

      • Psychology: "Chapter 14, Section 4: Regulation of Stress" URL

        This section discusses coping with or regulating stress. Social support and control can be very important tools for managing stress in our daily lives. 

      • Behavioral Effects of Stress Page

        Watch this video, which explains how stress such as depression can affect our bodies. Pay particular attention to the role of learned helplessness as well as the effect of stress on your heart.

    • 9.4: Positive Psychology and Happiness

      • Psychology: "Chapter 14, Section 5: The Pursuit of Happiness" URL

        Positive psychology is uplifting, and explores happiness and its elements. As you read this section, ask yourself how you define happiness in your life. What do you think of the subfield of positive psychology, or, as it is also known, the science of happiness? What emphasis should psychology place on happiness? 

      • Robert A. Emmons' "Positive Psychology" URL

        Read this article to learn about the subfield of positive psychology and how it can make a difference in people's lives

    • Unit 9 Assessment

      • Unit 9 Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.