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Physiological Stress Responses

Physiological Stress Responses. Short term stress response The HPAA The fight/flight response Long term stress response The general adaptation syndrome. www.psychlotron.org.uk. General Adaptation. Selye (1936) Rats exposed to a variety of severe but non-lethal stressors

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Physiological Stress Responses

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  1. Physiological Stress Responses • Short term stress response • The HPAA • The fight/flight response • Long term stress response • The general adaptation syndrome www.psychlotron.org.uk

  2. General Adaptation • Selye (1936) • Rats exposed to a variety of severe but non-lethal stressors • Exercise, injury, mutilation, poisoning • A long-term response to stress was observed that was independent of stressor type www.psychlotron.org.uk

  3. General Adaptation • Alarm • Immediate response to stressor • Fight or flight • Resistance • Body tries to adapt to stressor • Hormonal changes to cope with stress • Conservation of resources • Effects on activity level, feeding etc. • Not necessarily harmful www.psychlotron.org.uk

  4. General Adaptation • Exhaustion • Total depletion of coping resources • Metabolic changes • Decline in immune functioning • Increased susceptibility to infection www.psychlotron.org.uk

  5. General Adaptation Adrenal Glands become enlarged Thymus shrinks www.psychlotron.org.uk Stomach develops ulcers

  6. General Adaptation • Ethical objections to use of animals • Deliberate infliction of pain & stress • Could alternative methods have been used? • Problems generalising • Rat and human physiology have similarities and differences • Human stress is mediated by psychological factors www.psychlotron.org.uk

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