AP PSYCH 7.4 Stress and Coping

Stress

• Stress is upsetting the balance of homeostasis
• Homeostasis is the steady state within the body
• Stress is a condition in which the human system responds to changes in its normal balanced state
• A stressor is anything that is perceived as challenging, threatening, or demanding
  • This can include new jobs, moving into adulthood, marriage, retirement, death of a loved one, financial problems, chronic illness/injury, workplace stressors, divorce, and more
• An adaptation is a change in the response to a stressor, which can be physical or mental
• Eustress is stress interpreted as beneficial, while distress is perceived as detrimental

General Adaptation

• Developed by Hans Selye
• Explained the reactions to stress
• The alarm reaction occurs when stressors upset homeostasis, and an ‘alarm’ is sent to the entire body
  • An acute, short-term, intense response
• Resistance is the body fighting back by adjusting to the stressor
  • A chronic, long-term, less-intense response
• Exhaustion occurs when the body is no longer able to resist the stressor

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