HCC Stress Physiology & Coping 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which brain structure is primarily responsible for detecting threats and triggering the fear response?
- Hippocampus
- Amygdala (Correct answer)
- Prefrontal cortex
- Cerebellum
Correct answer: Amygdala
The amygdala acts as the brain's alarm system, rapidly detecting threats and initiating the stress response before conscious awareness occurs.
Question 2: When a client reports feeling 'emotionally numb' after a prolonged stressful period, this is most likely a sign of:
- Eustress adaptation
- Hypostress
- Allostatic overload (Correct answer)
- Parasympathetic dominance
Correct answer: Allostatic overload
Allostatic overload occurs when cumulative stress exceeds the body's capacity to adapt, often presenting as emotional numbing, exhaustion, or burnout.
Question 3: The term 'allostasis' refers to:
- A state of physiological balance at rest
- The body's ability to achieve stability through change (Correct answer)
- The suppression of the HPA axis during calm periods
- Chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system
Correct answer: The body's ability to achieve stability through change
Allostasis describes the body's dynamic process of maintaining stability by actively changing physiological parameters in response to demands.
Question 4: During the resistance stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), the body:
- Enters an initial state of shock and reduced resistance
- Maintains heightened physiological arousal to cope with ongoing stress (Correct answer)
- Depletes resources and enters a state of collapse
- Returns fully to baseline as the stressor resolves
Correct answer: Maintains heightened physiological arousal to cope with ongoing stress
In the resistance stage, the body sustains elevated physiological efforts to cope with a persistent stressor, consuming significant energy reserves.
Question 5: Which neurotransmitter is most associated with the 'tend-and-befriend' stress response pattern?
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- Oxytocin (Correct answer)
- Norepinephrine
Correct answer: Oxytocin
Oxytocin promotes social bonding and affiliative behaviors and is central to the tend-and-befriend response, an alternative to fight-or-flight especially observed in females.
Question 6: A holistic coach notices a client consistently uses humor to deflect from discussing a painful topic. In coping theory, this is best classified as:
- Emotion-focused coping
- Problem-focused coping
- Avoidant coping (Correct answer)
- Meaning-focused coping
Correct answer: Avoidant coping
Using humor or distraction to avoid engaging with a stressor or its emotional impact is categorized as avoidant (or escape-avoidance) coping.
Question 7: Elevated chronic cortisol is most directly linked to which physical health consequence?
- Decreased blood pressure
- Increased bone density
- Impaired immune function (Correct answer)
- Enhanced digestive efficiency
Correct answer: Impaired immune function
Prolonged high cortisol suppresses immune system activity by reducing lymphocyte production and inflammatory response, increasing vulnerability to illness.
HCC Stress Physiology & Coping 2
Which brain structure is primarily responsible for detecting threats and triggering the fear response?