Ch. 12 Stress, Coping and Health

In Ch. 12 the topic of stress, how to cope with it and how it effects our health are discussed. In addition to defining what stress under three different approaches, the chapter also covers how we adapt to stress and what is biologically occurring in our brains when we experience stressful/traumatic events.

One section of the chapter I found interesting was the discussion of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the event of 9/11. A common misconception is that after the occurrence of an aversive event, individuals will become traumatized or experience serious psychological disorders. Although this can be true for some people, as humans our most common response to trauma/stress is resilience. When almost 3,000 New Yorkers were surveyed via phone 6 months after 9/11, 65.1% were reported as resilient and able to live their normal lives. I found this number surprising because after 9/11, the mass media coverage portrayed a ruined, destroyed city with desperate, terrified occupants. Although 9/11 was a life-affecting event for thousands of people, as humans we grow stronger and more resilient after such trauma in order to continue living and surviving.