Selyes Stress Theory - 2583 Words

1. Scope of the topic During the last decades one major health issue has become more and more important in society: stress. There is nearly no newspaper that does not contain at least a short article blaming stress to be the cause of managers or athletes breaking down.1 But also students are being put under pressure as the school system consists in one year less time to deal with the same amount of studies. Also employees requirements for graduates contain a wide range of skills and knowledge as well as excellent grades in university.2 All this sets high pressure to perform on students.3 That is the reason why this academic piece of work will deal with the question of what stress in the theory of Hans Selye really is and to which†¦show more content†¦(1974): p 58 14 Cf. Selye, H. (1974): p 58-59 6 4 3. The General Adaptation Syndrome Hans Selye believed that the stress reaction includes three different phases: alarm, resistance and exhaustion. He defined this phenomenon as the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) which contains the direct effect of stress on an individual, the endogenous reaction to fend an impending damage and the endogenous reaction to impend excessive defence measures.15 Additionally Selye introduced the normal level of resistance which every individual confronts during daily life. This means that the adaption to routinely upcoming stressors occurs automatically. Only if a stressor overloads the temporary available adaptive resources the body starts giving alarm by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis.16 The alarm stage is divided into two parts, at first the individual finds itself in a phase of shock during which the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is being suppressed. If the impact of the stressor continues the anti shock phase is initialized which corresponds Canons â€Å"FightFlight† reaction.17 Here the perception of a possible stressor activates the hypothalamus which then stimulates the pituitary gland to release hormones that activate the adrenal centre. Their activation leads to a release of epinephrine (adrenaline) and nor epinephrine (nor adrenaline) into the bloodstream which arouses the SNS18 and prepares the body forShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between the Transactional Model, and the General Adaptation Syndrome1606 Words   |  7 PagesThe term ‘stress’ was generally thought to have been a concept created by Robert Hooke in the 17th century. He worked on the design of physical structures, such as bridges; his concept of stress came from how much pressure a structure could withstand. However, Lazarus (1993) pointed out that the term ‘stress’ has been used as far back as the 14th century, when it meant hardship or adversity. 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