Stress

Stress (Selye)

the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it

Eustress

a positive or beneficial stress response that is perceived as motivational or energising, and is associated with situations that are challenging but within an individuals coping abilities and resources

Distress

negative or harmful stress responses that impedes our ability to perform at an optimal level, that is detrimental in nature and generates physical and psychological maladaptation

GAS model

used to describe the physiological changes/response that the body automatically goes through in an attempt to alleviate the impact of any stressor

Alarm

the initial response to a stressor

Shock Stage

during/after the exposure to stressor, stress resistance falls below normal levels and body acts as though injured

Counter-Shock

the activation of the sympathetic nervous system to prepare for a flight or fight response to which the body releases adrenaline and cortisol

Resistance

Exhaustion

where the bodies physical, emotional and mental resources are depleted to the point where the body no longer has the strength to fight stress

Strengths of GAS model

identifies biological processes associated with stress responses rather than just psychological

first to highlight that stress has a major impact on the immune system + links between stress and an increased risk of illness

Limitations of GAS model

too much emphasis on biology of stress response + doesn’t take into account psychological factors that explain subjective experiences

based on animals + may not be able to be generalised to humans

assumes that stress responses are psychologically uniform however, evidence says that different stressors can elicit different physiological responses and may not be as non-specific

Stress (Holmes + Rahe)

a significant life event or change that demands response, adjustment or adaptation

Social Readjustment Scale (SRRS)

consists of 43 common life events which are scored according to the degree of personal adjustment they demand of the person experiencing them

Social Readjustment

measures the intensity + length of time necessary to accomodate a life event regardless of the desirability of the event

Method SRRS

asked 394 participants to provide a numerical estimate for each of the 43 items, list includes both eustress + distress

mean value of 10 to 100 Life Changing Units (LCU) to rep. perceived magnitude of each event

adding up LCU’s of events an individual has experienced can predict likelihood of experiencing a major health breakdown in the subsequent 2 years

Contributions SRRS

agreement of adjustment required is highly consistent, even cross-culturally

has been used in research + clinical settings to explore relationship between life stressors + health outcomes

raise awareness of impacts of major life events on stress

increased scores are related to increased likelihood of stress-related issues

Limitations SRRS

not all events apply to every age group

subjectivity + bias: relies on self-reported perceptions of stressfulness related with life events, variations in scoring

limited predictive power: there is a weak correlation between SRRS scores + illness

does not account for personal differences

SRRS only focus’s on major life events, neglecting chronic stressors or daily hassels that can impact individuals

Strengths SRRS

SRS provides standardised method for assessing life events + their perceived stressfulness, allows for comparison across populations

has a positive correlation with health, suggests validity in predicting stress-related health problems

Appraisal

a mental evaluation/interpretation of a situation in which one judges somethings importance and whether it matches their goals

Coping

refers to cognitive + behavioural efforts made by individuals to manage the demands of a stressful situation

Lazarus + Folkman 1984

Transactional Theory of Stress + Coping (TTSC) - presents stress as a product of a transaction between an individual and their complex environment

Recall

method of coping refers to the cognitive + behavioural efforts made by individuals to manage/overcome demands of stressful situation

Problem Focused Coping

practical steps taken to manage the stressor + attempting to deal with the problem itself

Emotion Focused Coping

how individual manages their emotional responses to the stressor, changes the impact of stressor on individual but not the nature of the stressor (through attempt to change/reduce the negative emotions with it)

Adaptative Coping

beneficial and protective to health

decrease adverse impacts of stress + reduce stress

face the stressors to deal with them to promote long term benefits

Maladaptive Coping

reduce short term stress but can affect physical/physiological health in the long term

avoids dealing with stressors that are causing the problem

Stressors

any stimulus that challenges or threatens an individual, thus causing a feeling a of stress that is subjective between individuals

Psychological Stressors

internal factors such as behaviours and thoughts that come from our own psychological mindset, expectations and personal circumstances

Environmental Stressors

stimuli external to the individual that can illicit a stress response that may or may not be controllable by the individual

Social Stressors

social behaviours and situations that are related to physical and psychological strain that arise from interactions with others and the social environment (prosocial are designed to benefit others)

Cultural Stressors

can relate to acclimating to a foreign culture in a new country or encountering different lifestyles and value systems that may threaten the model you have lived with all your life

Nature of Stressor

the nature and controllability of a stressor depends on perceived ability of an individual to influence or control the situation causing stress

Duration of Stressor

the duration of a stressor refers to the length of time it persists or remains present in an individuals life, longer it operates the more severe its effects (acute= short term, chronic = ongoing)

Strength of Stressor

the magnitude or intensity of the impacts that it has on an individuals wellbeing (heigthened physiological arousal)