What Is Stress?

1. What Is Stress? Chapter 1

2. Chapter Overview • Important researchers of stress and their contributions • Types of stress • Stress reactivity: general adaptation syndrome • Defining stress

3. Before we begin, ask yourself… • What stresses you out? • How do you deal with stress?

4. Before we formally define stress, let’s take a look at some influential researchers and how they contributed to our knowledge of stress.

5. Walter Cannon • First to describe the effects of acute stress • Termed this stress reaction as the fight-or-flight response • A primitive response that quickly increases heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol

6. Hans Selye • Studied the effects of long-term (chronic) stress • Summarized his findings by proposing a three-phase process called the general adaptation syndrome • alarm reaction • stage of resistance • stage of exhaustion

7. Other Influential Researchers • Simeons -- related evolution to psychosomatic disease (twentieth century concept) • Wolff, LeShan, Engel -- studied illness, disease, and stress • Friedman & Rosenman -- identified relationship between stress and coronary heart disease • Simonton -- imagery and cancer therapy

8. Techniques and concepts have developed over the years, including: • Relaxation response (Benson) • Autogenic training (Schultz, Luthe) • Progressive muscular relaxation, bracing, imagery (Jacobson) • Biofeedback (Budzynski)

9. Stress Theory • Several theories explain the causes of stress: • Life events theory: situation requires more resources than are available • Hardiness theory: one’s attitude toward the events determines stress • Social support theory: insufficient social support for responding to event

10. The Stressor • Stressor (stimulus) • biological • psychological • sociological • philosophical • Stress reactivity (fight-or-flight response) • All effects are based on duration and degree of one’s physiological reaction • There may be gender differences

11. Stress Reactivity

12. Definition of Stress • Mason described the different uses of the word stress: • stimulus • response • whole spectrum of interacting factors (Lazarus) • stimulus-response interaction

13. Is the glass half full or half empty? • A situation can be stressful or not -- it all depends on your perception of the event • A response to stress can be effective or not -- it depends on your resources and coping strategies • Refer to table 1.2

14. Relationship between stress and illness….

15. Goals for Stress Management • Do not eliminate all stress • Use as a motivator for peak performance • Stress can be useful, stimulating, and welcome • Limit harmful effects

16. What Is Stress?