Question

How does Selye account for the incidence of illness in terms of stress (include stress response stages)? Select one "Individual Factors that Influence the Response to Stress" and briefly describe how you can personally use it to ameliorate the effects of stress.

Answer 1

Hans Selye (1956) used the term “stress” to represent the effects of anything that seriously threatens homeostasis.

The actual or perceived threat to an organism is referred to as the “stressor” and the response to the stressor is called the “stress response.” Although stress responses evolved as adaptive processes, Selye observed that severe, prolonged stress responses might lead to tissue damage and disease.

In order to study this phenomenon, he subjected animals to various stressors as high temperature, injecting insulin etc in the laboratory for a long time.Other endocrinological experiments involved injecting mice with extracts of various organs which always resulted in the same symptoms (swelling of the adrenal cortex, atrophy of the thymus, gastric and duodenal ulcers). He also observed patients with various illness and injuries. Since, a similar pattern of bodily response was observed in all of them, he called the pattern the General Adaptation Syndrome.

According to Selye, General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) involves three stages:

1) Alarm Reaction- The presence of stressor leads to activation of the adrenal-pituitary- cortex system. This triggers the release of hormones producing stress response. Now, the individual is ready to fight or flight.

2) Resistance Stage- If stress is prolonged the resistance stage begins. The parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the body's resources. The organism makes efforts to cope with the threat, as though confrontation.

3) Exhaustion Stage- Continued exposure to the same stressor or additional stressors drains the body of its resources and leads to the third stage. The physiological systems involved in the alarm reaction and resistance become ineffective and susceptibility to stress-related diseases such as high blood pressure becomes more likely.

Though this model has been criticised for assigning a very limited role to psychological factors in stress.

Coping is a dynamic situation-specific reaction to stress. It is a concrete set of reactions/ responses to stressful situations or events that are intended to resolve the problem and reduce stress. The way we cope with the stress generally depends upon rigid beliefs, based on experience.  Humans respond to stress through basic physiological mechanisms, similar to all other organisms; however, in humans, stress is an especially complex phenomenon, influenced and complicated by modern lifestyles and technologies.

An individuals response to stressful situation largely depends upon the perceived events and how are they interpreted or appraised. Lazarus has distinguish between two types of appraisal :

a) Primary b) Secondry

The appraisal are very subjective and depend upon many factors, which may include:

A) Physiological- Physical health, constitutional, vulnerabilities

B) Psycholocial Characteristics - Mental health, Temperament, Self concept

C) Cultural - Cultural definitions and messages; Expected Response Style

The idea of a locus of control relates to the degree of control that an individual perceives that they have over their environment (Rotter, 1966 as cited in Payne, 2005). If the individual believes that they have control and choice in their life they are said to have an internal locus of control. If they believe that others are in control of their life then they are said to have an external locus of control. If an individual has an external locus of control, they are more likely to become stressed as the Perceived control is related to stress (European agency safety and health at work, 2000).

Having a sense of control over a stressful situation i.e., having an internal locus of control reduces the impact of stressor and decreases the feelings of anxiety and depression.

One can personally use the 'Locus of control' by realising that one's sense of control had to be realistic in order to be adaptive. Unrealistic perceptions of control over debilitating diseases can add to the stress. Sometimes the control needs to be refocused.

It is true that many of the stressors we face in life are largely beyond our control, though we can still cope with these things by adjusting how we think about things, working on our personal resilience, and focusing on the things we can control. When we recognize what we can control, we feel more empowered, so having a realistic view of life and an internal locus of control can help us feel less stressed and more empowered in many situations in life.

It can be used to ameliorate the effects of stress as:

a) Realising that you always have the choice to change your situation

b) Review the options or various courses of actions that might be taken

c) Evaluating each option and deciding on the best course of action that has to be taken

d) Remember all the Choices, and applying as an alternative if required