Stress

What is stress? (1)

the general response to demands made of the body. Occurs when theres a lack of balance between the perceived needs of a situation & the perceived abilities of an individual to cope with those needs

(2)

although stress has behavioural & cognitive components, stress responses are mainly physiological

Acute & chronic stressors

snarling dog, lateness & work/school pressures, debt & ill health

physical symptoms of stress

-          Indigestion/heartburn

-          Constipation/diarrhoea

-          Feeling sick, dizzy, fainting

-          Sudden weight gain/weight loss

-          Developing rashes or itchy skin

-          Sweating

-          Changes to periods/menstrual cycle

-          Difficulty breathing

-          Blurred eyesight/sore eyes

-          Fatigue

-          Chest pains & high bp

-          Muscle aches & headaches

-          existing physical health problems worsening

-          panic attacks

-          sleep problems

Humanistic perspective of stress (1)

from the humanistic perspective, stress is explained in the same way as depression & aggression

(2)

its due to an individual failing to self-actualise due to satisfying the conditions of worth of other people & the resulting incongruity between the self & ideal self

(3)

therapies include client centred therapy & encounter groups

How CCT/encounter groups work to treat stress (CCT) (1)

role of therapist is to provide unconditional positive regard as stress is associated with a lack of unconditional regard

(2)

Employ q sort technique

(3)

free clients from conditions of worth to diminish conditional self-regard, allow for self-actualisation, reduce stress

(4)

genuine, empathetic therapeutic relationship

(5)

focus on the present

(6)

non-directive therapy – client takes the lead on how to move towards self-actualisation enabling congruence, reducing anxiety

(7)

improve self esteem & develop a realistic ideal self

encounter groups (1)

clients provide positive regard for each other through listening & encouraging the development of unconditional self-regard & ultimately self-actualisation. Aligning the real self & ideal self ∴ reducing stress

(2)

up to 10 people share their experiences of stress, all participants are treated as equal & like a therapist in CCT, demonstrate caring, acceptance & trust

Behaviourist perspective (1)

stress is a learned response to environmental stimuli

(2)

in pavlovian terms, the individual has learned to associate certain situations with the stress response e.g. the stress response may be a learned behaviour to deadlines

(3)

if the individual goes on to avoid the stimulus e.g. taking time off when there’s a deadline to meet, the association fails to be extinguished/unlearned

(4)

treatments include time management techniques (info-graphic), biofeedback

cognitive perspective (notes on cognitive triad + ABC model)

beck & ellis explain stress in terms of irrational thought processes & their therapies can be used to treat stress

biological perspective (1)

stress can be seen as a physiological reaction to external stimuli or stressors in the environment eg life events by Holmes & Rahe

(2)

The General Adaptation Syndrome describes the physiological changes that occur in response to stress. 3 stages to GAS

Alarm reaction

the body’s mechanism for dealing with danger. Triggered by perception of a stressor & body is mobilised for action, described as the ‘fight or flight response’

Resistance

body struggles to cope with stress & attempts to return to its previous state. Sympathetic nervous system activity declines but also increases from another pat of the adrenal gland, the adrenal cortex

exhaustion

occurs when the body can’t achieve a return to its previous state & fails to cope with the stressor. If stress continues, bodily resources become depleted so the adrenal gland can’t function efficiently, blood-sugar levels drop & physical health affected e.g. high bp, heart disease, ulcers etc can develop

(3)

Eysenck would regard the stress response as the biological basis of neuroticism. Neurotic personalities have a nervous system that responds rapidly & strongly to stressful events and ∴ are more likely to react emotionally. Stable personalities have slower, weaker reactions of the nervous system when responding to stress

(4)

Can be treated with drug therapies including beta blockers, antidepressants & anxiolytics. Biofeedback, relaxation & meditation can also help control physiological experience of stress