2. • Aims and objective:
• To understand the concepts of stress
• To understand the psychological and
physiological reactions to stress
3. Group Work
• In groups : Advantages and Disadvantages of
stress
4. Concepts of Stress
• Stress as a response:
• Patterns of psychological and physiological
responses that occur in difficult
• Hans Seyle (1979) “non specific response of
the body to any demand on it”
5. • Stress as a stimulus
• Conceptualising stress in environmental terms
as an event or a set of circumstances that
require an unusual response.
• For example: tornadoes, earthquakes as well
as chronic stressful situations such as
imprisonment or crowding
• Relationship between the accumalation of
stressful life events
6. • Transaction
• Focusing on stimuli and response is not sufficient
enough
• relationship between the person and the environment
that taxes or exceeds the persons resources
• Level of stress is dependant on the person
• To understand stress we need to know how the
individual evaluates it accordance to mood,
motives/needs, resources for coping
• Cognitive appraisal
8. Physiological Reactions
• Physiological responses are regulated by the autonomic nervous system
under the control of the hypothalamus : the stress centre
• Hypothalamus controls ANS and the pituitary gland
• Emergency response ( fight or flight) a quick response
• Liver releases extra sugar to fuel muscles
• Hormones are released to stimulate conversion of fats and proteins to
sugar
• Metabolism increases in preparation for expending energy on physical
reaction
• Heart rate blood pressure and breathing rate increases and muscles tense
• Saliva and mucus dries up
• Endorphins ( natural pain killer) released
• Surface blood vessels constrict to reduce bleeding
• Spleen releases more red blood cells to help carry oxygen
9. • G.A.S.
• General Adaption Syndrome
• What happens if the stressor is not terminated
but continues over time? How does the body
adapt?
• Selye 1979 subjected rats to a variety of
stressors found they produced a similar
pattern of physiological changes
10. • G.A.S. = 3 Stages: alarm reaction, resistance, and
exhaustion
• Only tsted on lab animals so does not recognise importance
of cognitve
in human reactions to stress
BUT!
• Seyle suggests : any prolonged stressful experience may
follow the same course
• Has been valuable when explaining stress related illnesses
• BUT!!
• Does depend on the nature of the stressor
