stress

January 29, 2008

Stress. *bow*

Stress is the condition that results when person-environment transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy, whether real or not, between the demands of a situation and the resources of the person’s biological, psychological or social systems.

Persistent stress that is not resolved through coping or adaptation (distress) may lead to escape (anxiety) or withdrawal (depression) behavior.

Stage one: Alarm - When the threat or stressor is identified or realised, the body’s stress response is a state of alarm.

Stage two: Resistance - If the stressor persists, it becomes necessary to attempt some means of coping with the stress. Although the body begins to try to adapt to the strains or demands of the environment, the body cannot keep this up indefinitely, so its resources are gradually depleted.

Stage three: Exhaustion - All the body’s resources are eventually depleted and the body is unable to maintain normal function.

Holmes and Rahe stress scale

It was gradually realized that such concepts as anxiety, antagonism, exhaustion, frustration, distress, despair, overwork, pre-menstrual tension, over-focusing, confusion, mourning, and fear could all come together in a general broad term: Stress.

Stress. *bow*