Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

a biological model involving three stages of physiological reactions that a person experiences in response to a persistent stressor

Alarm Reaction

the first stage of the general adaptation syndrome involving the initial decrease and subsequent increase in bodily arousal in response to an immediate stressor

Shock

the first substage of the alarm reaction stage involving decreased bodily arousal for a brief period of time following the initial exposure to a stressor

counter-shock

the second substage of the alarm reaction stage in which sympathetic nervous system responses occur that mobilise the body to respond to the stressor

resistance

the second stage of the general adaptation syndrome involving maintaining high levels of bodily arousal in response to a persistent stressor

exhaustion

the third stage of the general adaptation syndrome involving the depletion of energy levels and bodily resources, resulting in an inability to cope with the stressor

strengths

• recognises a predictable pattern of physiological responses associated with distinct stages and substages, which can be mesured in individuals

• recognises the relationship between chronic stress and illness

• provides objective, empirical evidence about the biological processes involved in the stress response

limitations

• based on research that was conducted on rats, reducing generalisability for human populations

• only focuses on biological factors of stress, ignoring the importance of psychological factors in the stress response

• prescribes a uniform model that is the same for every individual in response to all stressors, failing to recognise the subjective nature of the stress response

diagram of General Adaptation Syndrome

(see book)