Stress

The essentials

Stress is the pattern of responses an organism makes to a stimulus event that disturbs its equilibrium and exceeds its ability to cope. The event causing stress is a stressor. The word stress comes from the Latin "strictus" meaning tight or narrow. Hans Selye called stress the non-specific response of the body to any demand. Moderate stress that motivates good performance is eustress; excessive, harmful stress is distress.

Richard Lazarus's cognitive theory says stress depends on how we appraise events. Primary appraisal judges whether an event is harmful (or a loss), threatening or challenging. Secondary appraisal evaluates one's coping abilities and resources.

Key points

• Types of stress: physical and environmental (overexertion, noise, pollution, crowding, natural disasters), psychological and social (from interaction with others, such as a death in the family or quarrels).
• Sources of psychological stress: frustration (blocking of needs and motives), conflicts (between two incompatible needs or motives), internal pressures (expecting too much of oneself) and social pressures (demands from others).
• Major sources: life events (major changes, measured by Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale), hassles (daily irritations such as traffic or crowded buses) and traumatic events (extreme events like accidents or disasters).
• Signs and symptoms appear as physical, emotional, behavioural and cognitive changes.
• Stress depends on its intensity, complexity, frequency and predictability.

Exam tips

• In case questions, ask whether the stem describes judging the event (primary) or judging one's resources (secondary).

Common mistakes

• Thinking all stress is harmful; eustress improves performance.
• Confusing hassles (minor, daily) with life events (major changes).