Reviewer on Stress → Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
Hans Selye’s early contribution to stress.
→ What is Stress? 3 Phases:
Stress is a negative emotional experience 1. Alarm Phase - a person becomes
accompanied by predictable biochemical, mobilized to meet the threat.
physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes
directed toward altering the stressful event or 2. Resistance - a person makes efforts to
accommodating its effects. cope with the threat through confrontation.
→ What is a Stressor? 3. Exhaustion - occurs if the person
Stressors are the stressful events experienced by fails to overcome the threat and depletes
a person. physiological resources while trying.
→ Appraisal of Stressors → Dimensions of Stressful Events
1. Primary Appraisal Although events are not necessarily
Occurs as a person is trying to inherently stressful, some characteristics
understand what the event is and what it make them more likely to be appraised
will mean as stressful.
Example: Events may be appraised for their
harm, threat, or challenge 1. Ambiguous Events
Ambiguous events are more stressful
2. Secondary Appraisal than clear-cut events.
Assess whether personal resources are When a potential stressor is ambiguous,
sufficient to meet the demands of the a person cannot take action but must
environment. devote energy to trying to understand
Example: When a person’s resources are more the stressor, which can be a time-
than adequate to deal with a difficult situation, consuming, resource-sapping task.
he or she may feel little stress.
2. Negative Events
3. Person-Environment Fit Negative events produce more stress
This determines stress. than positive events.
Results from the process of appraising 3. Overload
events (as harmful, threatening, or Overloaded people experience more
challenging), of assessing potential stress than people with fewer tasks to
resources, and responding to the events. perform.
4. Uncontrollable Events
→ Fight or Flight Uncontrollable or unpredictable events
Fight refers to aggressive responses to are more stressful than controllable or
stress. (Example: getting angry or taking predictable ones, especially unexpected
action) ones.
Flight is reflected in social withdrawal
or withdrawal through substance use or
distracting activities
Hans Selye’s early contribution to stress.
→ What is Stress? 3 Phases:
Stress is a negative emotional experience 1. Alarm Phase - a person becomes
accompanied by predictable biochemical, mobilized to meet the threat.
physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes
directed toward altering the stressful event or 2. Resistance - a person makes efforts to
accommodating its effects. cope with the threat through confrontation.
→ What is a Stressor? 3. Exhaustion - occurs if the person
Stressors are the stressful events experienced by fails to overcome the threat and depletes
a person. physiological resources while trying.
→ Appraisal of Stressors → Dimensions of Stressful Events
1. Primary Appraisal Although events are not necessarily
Occurs as a person is trying to inherently stressful, some characteristics
understand what the event is and what it make them more likely to be appraised
will mean as stressful.
Example: Events may be appraised for their
harm, threat, or challenge 1. Ambiguous Events
Ambiguous events are more stressful
2. Secondary Appraisal than clear-cut events.
Assess whether personal resources are When a potential stressor is ambiguous,
sufficient to meet the demands of the a person cannot take action but must
environment. devote energy to trying to understand
Example: When a person’s resources are more the stressor, which can be a time-
than adequate to deal with a difficult situation, consuming, resource-sapping task.
he or she may feel little stress.
2. Negative Events
3. Person-Environment Fit Negative events produce more stress
This determines stress. than positive events.
Results from the process of appraising 3. Overload
events (as harmful, threatening, or Overloaded people experience more
challenging), of assessing potential stress than people with fewer tasks to
resources, and responding to the events. perform.
4. Uncontrollable Events
→ Fight or Flight Uncontrollable or unpredictable events
Fight refers to aggressive responses to are more stressful than controllable or
stress. (Example: getting angry or taking predictable ones, especially unexpected
action) ones.
Flight is reflected in social withdrawal
or withdrawal through substance use or
distracting activities
