Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

health psychology 
The branch of psychology that investigates the 
psychological factors related to wellness and illness, including the 
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) 
The study of the relationship among 
psychological factors, the immune system, and the brain.
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Anthony Lepre started feeling awful almost as soon as Tom Ridge [U.S. Homeland Security 
Secretary] put the nation on high alert for a terrorist attack. . . . He awoke in the middle 
of the night short of breath, his heart pounding. And the sound of his telephone seemed 
a sure sign of bad news. By midweek, he was rushing off to Costco to stock up on fruit 
juice, bottled water, peanut butter, canned tuna, “and extra food for my cats Monster, 
Monkey and Spike.” He also picked up a fi rst-aid kit, six rolls of duct tape, and a bulk 
package of plastic wrap to seal his windows. “The biggest problem was that I felt 
helpless,” he says, “completely powerless over the situation.” (Cowley, 2003, pp. 43–44)
Stress: Reacting to Threat 
and Challenge
Most of us need little introduction to the phenomenon of
 stress, 
people’s response 
to events that threaten or challenge them. Whether it is a paper or an exam deadline, 
a family problem, or even the ongoing threat of a terrorist attack, life is full of cir-
cumstances and events known as stressors that produce threats to our well-being. 
Even pleasant events—such as planning a party or beginning a sought-after job—can 
produce stress, although negative events result in greater detrimental consequences 
than positive ones. 
All of us face stress in our lives. Some health psychologists believe that daily life 
actually involves a series of repeated sequences of perceiving a threat, considering 
ways to cope with it, and ultimately adapting to the threat with greater or lesser suc-
cess. Although adaptation is often minor and occurs without our awareness, adapta-
tion requires a major effort when stress is more severe or long lasting. Ultimately, our 
attempts to overcome stress may produce biological and psychological responses that 
result in health problems (Boyce & Ellis, 2005; Dolbier, Smith, & Steinhardt, 2007).