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Stress: Its Meaning, Impact, and Sources. Dr. Alan H. Teich Chap 3. What is Stress?. Stress: A Stimulus A Response A Process A Perception “Nothing is stressful unless you perceived it to be so.”. Components of the definition of stress. Resources Demands Discrepancy Transactions.
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Stress: Its Meaning, Impact, and Sources Dr. Alan H. Teich Chap 3
What is Stress? • Stress: • A Stimulus • A Response • A Process • A Perception • “Nothing is stressful unless you perceived it to be so.”
Components of the definition of stress Resources Demands Discrepancy Transactions
Lazarus: Cognitive Appraisal • Primary Appraisal • Secondary Appraisal
Factors Affecting Appraisals • Personal factors • Life transitions • Situational factors • Ambiguity • Predictability • Controllability • Primary • Secondary
Biopsychosocial Aspects of Stress • Biological • SNS Reactivity: fight or flight response • General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye, 1956) • Stages • Alarm Reaction • Stage of Resistance • Stage of Exhaustion
The body’s resistance to stress can last only so long before exhaustion sets in Stress resistance Stressor occurs Phase 1 Alarm reaction (mobilize resources) Phase 2 Resistance (cope with stressor) Phase 3 Exhaustion (reserves depleted) General Adaptation Syndrome
Psychosocial Aspects of Stress • Cognitions • Emotions • Social Behaviors • Gender • Culture
Sources of Stress • Within the person • Health • Conflicts • Approach/approach • Avoidance/avoidance • Approach/avoidance • Family • Children • Separation and Divorce • Illness, Disability, & Death • Job • Environment
Measuring Stress • Physiological Measures • Polygraph • Hormones • Life Events • Holmes & Rahe: Social Readjustment Rating Scale • Daily Hassles
Good Stress - Bad Stress • Selye • Distress • Eustress • Moderate levels of Stress: “Optimal” • Yerkes-Dodson Inverted U function
Inverted U Function Level of performance Moderate Stress (Optimal ) High stress Low stress