How does stress affect the body and behavior, and how do people cope with it?
Topic 5.1 Introduction to Health Psychology: explain stress and stressors, the general adaptation syndrome, the effects of stress on health, and the strategies people use to cope with stress.
A focused answer to AP Psychology Topic 5.1, covering health psychology and the biopsychosocial model, types of stressors, Selye's general adaptation syndrome, the tend-and-befriend response, the effects of chronic stress on the immune and cardiovascular systems, and problem-focused and emotion-focused coping.
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What this topic is asking
Topic 5.1 opens Unit 5 with health psychology and stress. The College Board wants you to define stress and stressors, explain Selye's general adaptation syndrome, describe how chronic stress harms health, and lay out the coping strategies people use.
Stress and stressors
Health psychology itself works within the biopsychosocial model, treating health as the joint product of biological, psychological, and social factors.
The general adaptation syndrome
An alternative to fight-or-flight is the tend-and-befriend response: under stress, people (and especially, in some research, women) may seek social support and care for others rather than fight or flee.
How stress harms health
Prolonged stress takes a physical toll:
- Immune suppression: chronic stress weakens the immune system, increasing susceptibility to illness.
- Cardiovascular strain: sustained stress raises blood pressure and is linked to hypertension and heart disease, especially with a hostile, reactive Type A pattern.
- Stress can also worsen headaches, sleep, and other conditions, illustrating the mind-body link at the core of the unit.
Coping with stress
Two broad coping strategies appear on the exam:
- Problem-focused coping: directly addressing the stressor itself (making a plan, solving the problem). Best when the stressor is controllable.
- Emotion-focused coping: managing the emotional reaction to the stressor (relaxation, exercise, seeking support, reframing). Useful when the stressor cannot be changed.
Social support, exercise, and a sense of control all buffer stress.
This topic frames the whole unit by establishing the mind-body relationship that runs through it. Stress is the bridge: it begins as a psychological appraisal, triggers a measurable physiological cascade (the general adaptation syndrome), and, when chronic, produces real physical disease through immune and cardiovascular pathways. That is why a course nominally about mental health also covers physical health. For the exam, the most reliable facts to anchor are Selye's three-stage sequence in the right order and the problem-focused versus emotion-focused coping distinction. A scenario with a controllable stressor invites problem-focused coping; an uncontrollable one invites emotion-focused coping, and the strongest answers tie the coping choice to whether the stressor can be changed.
Try this
Q1. List Selye's three stages of the general adaptation syndrome in order. [2 points]
- Cue. Alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
Q2. Distinguish problem-focused from emotion-focused coping. [1 point]
- Cue. Problem-focused coping addresses the stressor directly; emotion-focused coping manages one's emotional response to it.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of College Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AP 2024 (style)1 marksMultiple choice. According to Selye's general adaptation syndrome, the three stages of the body's response to prolonged stress occur in which order? (A) Exhaustion, alarm, resistance (B) Alarm, resistance, exhaustion (C) Resistance, exhaustion, alarm (D) Alarm, exhaustion, resistance (E) Resistance, alarm, exhaustionShow worked answer →
The answer is (B) Alarm, resistance, exhaustion.
Selye's general adaptation syndrome describes three stages: alarm (the body mobilizes resources, the fight-or-flight response), resistance (the body copes with sustained stress while staying aroused), and exhaustion (resources are depleted, increasing vulnerability to illness).
The other orderings misplace the stages. The defining sequence is alarm first, resistance second, exhaustion last.
AP 2023 (style)4 marksConcept-application free-response question. A student faces months of academic pressure. Explain how EACH of the following applies: a stressor, the general adaptation syndrome, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping.Show worked answer →
A 4-point concept-application FRQ; one point per term.
Stressor (1): the source of stress, such as heavy coursework and exams, that the student must respond to.
General adaptation syndrome (1): Selye's three-stage response (alarm, resistance, exhaustion); prolonged pressure can push the student toward exhaustion and illness.
Problem-focused coping (1): addressing the stressor directly, such as making a study schedule or seeking tutoring.
Emotion-focused coping (1): managing the emotional response, such as relaxation, exercise, or seeking social support.
Markers reward each term being correctly defined AND tied to the student's situation.
Related dot points
- Topic 5.2 Positive Psychology: explain the aims of positive psychology, subjective well-being, the concepts of flow, gratitude, character strengths and virtues, resilience, and posttraumatic growth.
A focused answer to AP Psychology Topic 5.2, covering the aims of positive psychology, subjective well-being and the adaptation-level phenomenon, flow, gratitude, character strengths and virtues, resilience, posttraumatic growth, and the role of positive subjective experiences in flourishing.
- Topic 5.3 Explaining and Diagnosing Psychological Disorders: explain how psychological disorders are defined and classified, the diagnostic systems (DSM and ICD), and the models used to explain disorders, including the biopsychosocial and diathesis-stress models.
A focused answer to AP Psychology Topic 5.3, covering how psychological disorders are defined (deviance, distress, dysfunction), the DSM and ICD diagnostic systems, the medical, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and sociocultural perspectives, the biopsychosocial and diathesis-stress models, and the risks of labeling.
- Topic 5.5 Treatment of Psychological Disorders: describe the major approaches to treatment, including psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, cognitive, and biomedical therapies, and the formats and ethics of treatment.
A focused answer to AP Psychology Topic 5.5, covering psychodynamic, humanistic (person-centered), behavioral (exposure, systematic desensitization, token economies), cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies, and biomedical treatments including drug therapies, ECT, and TMS, plus treatment formats, the eclectic approach, and therapeutic ethics.
- Topic 4.6 Motivation: explain the major theories of motivation, including drive-reduction, arousal, Maslow's hierarchy, incentive, and self-determination theory, and apply them to hunger and other motivated behaviors.
A focused answer to AP Psychology Topic 4.6, covering drive-reduction theory and homeostasis, arousal theory and the Yerkes-Dodson law, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, incentive theory, self-determination theory with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and the biology of hunger and eating.
- Topic 1.5 Sleep: describe the stages of sleep and the sleep cycle, the role of circadian rhythms, theories of why we sleep and dream, and major sleep disorders.
A focused answer to AP Psychology Topic 1.5, covering circadian rhythms, the NREM and REM stages of the sleep cycle, theories of why we sleep and dream, REM rebound, and the major sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea.
Sources & how we know this
- AP Psychology Course and Exam Description — College Board (2024)