Resources
The Breakdown
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Important
- Person-environment fit – This concept refers to an individual’s perception and interpretation of stress, determined by their appraisal of their available resources. The assessment of personal resources dictates the degree of stress experienced. If resources are adequate, stress is low and the event is viewed as a challenge; if inadequate, the individual feels stressed out. You should know this concept.
- Enlarged adrenal cortex, shrinking of thymus and lymph glands, ulceration of the stomach and duodenum – These were the physiological responses observed by Selye in rats exposed to various stressors. These specific findings should be known.
- Three phases of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) – These phases are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. You should know these three phases.
- CRF, ACTH, and Cortisol release pathway – Activation of the hypothalamus releases Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), which stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which in turn stimulates the adrenal cortex to release cortisol. There are a couple of steps, but remembering these three steps is key.
- Tangible assistance, informational support, emotional support – These are three examples of social support that can significantly influence one’s ability to cope with stress. We should know these three types of social support.
Core concepts
- Stress definition: A negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioural changes, directed towards altering the stressful event or accommodating to its effects. It is initiated or aggravated by exposure to a stressor.
- Stressor definition: An event, situation, experience or trigger that causes stress. Examples include noise, overcrowding, bad relationships, work-related activities, and environmental factors.
- Models and theories of stress: Various models exist to explain stress, including fight-or-flight, general adaptation syndrome (GAS), and tend-and-befriend.
- Appraisal of stress: The degree of stress is determined by psychological appraisal, involving primary appraisal (determining the meaning, whether positive, negative, or neutral, and if negative, assessing harm, threat, or challenge) and secondary appraisal (determining coping abilities and available resources).
- Coping definition: The thoughts and behaviours used to manage the internal and external demands of situations appraised as stressful. It is a dynamic process that persists over time and includes a wide breadth of reactions.
- Factors influencing coping: Individual coping is shaped by genetic and environmental factors. External factors, such as socio-economic status (SES), can significantly influence coping skills. Multiple stressors can also influence coping capacity.
- Coping strategies: These are the specific approaches or techniques individuals use to manage stress. Examples include dispositional optimism, self-compassion, gratitude, psychological control, self-esteem, and various coping styles like avoidant/approach and problem-focused/emotion-focused. Resilience, social support, and interventions like MBSR, disclosure, and stress management programs are also relevant.
Theories and Frameworks
- Fight-or-flight: A primal survival mechanism involving the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system, preparing organisms to confront or flee a threat. It takes the body out of homeostasis.
- General adaptation syndrome (GAS): Selye’s model describing the body’s uniform physiological response to various stressors, consisting of three phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Chronic stress can lead to wear and tear of the system according to this model.
- Tend-and-befriend: A model that introduces a social aspect to stress response, involving seeking social contact during stress, often observed as more prevalent in females and associated with increased oxytocin levels.
- Person-environment fit: The perception of stress is determined by an individual’s appraisal of their resources and environment.
- Psychological appraisal of stress: A process determining the degree of stress, involving primary appraisal to evaluate the event’s meaning and secondary appraisal to assess coping abilities and resources.
- Sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system: One of two physiological systems affected by stress, initiating the earliest response to stress by activating the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight), stimulating the adrenal medulla to secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine, leading to sympathetic arousal.
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis: The other physiological system affected by stress, where the hypothalamus releases CRF, stimulating the pituitary gland to secrete ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal cortex to release cortisol. Cortisol helps conserve carbs, reduces inflammation, and inhibits CRF release, aiming to return the body to a steady state.
- Allostatic load: Refers to the wear and tear on the body’s systems due to long-term exposure to stress. The system was not designed for this chronic activation.
- Coping styles: Distinct individual approaches to dealing with stress, including avoidant (minimizing) versus approach (confrontative) styles and problem-focused versus emotion-focused styles.
Notable Individuals
- Cannon: Mentioned in relation to the fight-or-flight theory.
- Selye: Coined the term General Adaptation Syndrome and conducted research using rats.
- Taylor et al: Mentioned in relation to the Tend-and-befriend model.