Stress and Stress Response in Psychology

Study Notes

Stress represents the effects of anything that seriously threatens homeostasis (Selye, 1956).
A stressor is the actual or perceived threat to an organism, and the response to the stressor is called the stress response.

Pups separated from their mothers for hours daily during early life show highly active stress systems in their brains and bodies.
They experience elevated arousal in their sympathetic nervous system and tend to display larger and more frequent stress responses to their environment.
These deprived pups exhibit heightened activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Stress is a natural and adaptive response to a challenging or threatening situation.
Distress refers to negative or harmful stress that is overwhelming, harmful to one's well-being, and typically associated with negative emotions.
Eustress is a form of positive stress that is motivating and invigorating rather than debilitating.

Stressors: specific events, circumstances, or demands that can trigger a stress response (fight-or-flight response).
Stressors are of two types: acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) stressors.
Perception: stress is highly dependent on an individual's perception of a situation and events.
Physiological Responses: stress response will initiate the release of hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) leading to physiological changes.
Behavioural Responses: engaging in coping behaviors, such as problem-solving, seeking social support, or turning to maladaptive coping strategies like smoking, overeating, etc.
Psychological Responses: stress can manifest as a range of emotional and cognitive reactions, including feelings of anxiety, tension, irritability, or sadness.

The fight-or-flight response was first described by Walter Bradford Cannon in 1932.
Key points of the model:
- Stress Response: the physiological changes that occur when an organism perceives a threat or stressor.
- Fight-or-Flight Response: the physiological changes that prepare the body to confront or escape from a threat.
- Physiological Response: release of stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine), increased blood pressure, and the release of glucose for energy.
- Sympathetic Nervous System: responsible for initiating the physiological changes associated with stress.
- Adaptive Nature: fight-or-flight response is an adaptive mechanism that helps individuals respond to real or perceived threats.

Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS) was developed in 1956 and describes three stages in the stress process.
It is a theoretical model that describes the body's response to stressors.
The three stages are:
- Alarm Stage: initial stage of a stress response, where the body perceives a stressor and triggers the "fight-or-flight" response.
- Resistance Stage: if the stressor persists, the body enters the resistance stage, where it attempts to adapt to the ongoing stress.
- Exhaustion Stage: (not mentioned in the text, but implied as the third stage of GAS)