It is a fact that men and women differ in many ways. Various researchers have pondered, and tried
to determine the differences that may exist in coping styles and levels of stress in men and women.
Despite the many studies that have been done on the relationship between stress and health, the
nature of this has not yet been clearly established (Matud, 2004). Coping has been defined as the
constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal
demands that have been evaluated as taking up, or exceeding the resources of the person (Lazarus
and Folkman, n.d. as cited in Matud, 2004).
The term stress has been defined in various ways as many factors contribute to the incline of a
persons stress levels,eg: environment (stimuli) and life events. These are referred to as stressors.
When an individual's ability to adapt is challenged it causes physiological responses, such as
increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and the presence of hormones and neurotransmitters
(Selye, 1993). These reactions heighten the arousal of an organism to effectively deal with stress,
Selye et al., 1993. Suldo, Shaunessy and Hardesty (2008) discovered it is possible to adapt to
normal levels of stress; as this heightened arousal prepares an organism to effectively deal with
stress. When these levels exceed the normal levels often and/or for extended periods of time, health
and mood deteriorate, leading to positive rather than negative coping strategies.
Researchers, in particular Matud (2004) have conducted studies to discover which
gender is more susceptible to stress, the environmental and life events that contribute to increased
stres...
... middle of paper ...
... Matud (2004), who explored gender
differences in some stress process variables in a broad range of the general population. The aim of
the research conducted was to address the differences in stress between men and women, and their
differences in coping styles and emotional control Matud et al. In comparison to examining
subjects with similar life history and social roles, observing representatives of all the
sociodermographic groups could yield varied results. However, once these results are determined a
more accurate result can be achieved. It could be assumed that positive coping methods offered by
professionals, could be more effective if it is known how men and women cope with stress.
Although these coping strategies may vary in relation to men and women, the outcomes could be
more effective than a "one for all" solution.
Therefore, prolonged stress included adverse psychological and physical health effects as well as the increased risk of premature death (Denollet, J., et al.
The 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. Back then it referred to the external stressor, such as the death of a spouse or financial worry; in the 20th century, there are many different schools of thought on this area. Hans Selye (1956), brought together the work of Cannon and Bernard and devised a comprehensive system of physiological stress; which he termed the ‘General Adaptation Syndrome’, and is a 3-stage process. He theorised that a certain level of stress called ‘eustress’ (Cox, 1978) could actually be beneficial to our overall performance. Later In 1976, Cox & Mackay devised another model called the ‘Transactional model’. This model takes into account the individual differences in the perception of the amount of stress experienced by the person. The main difference between these two models is that Selye’s model only accounts for the physiological side of stress, whereas Cox’s model takes into account both the physiological and psychological aspects of stress. Therefore, both models will have slight similarities and differences in their explanation for how stress occurs in individuals, which is the main focus of this essay.
Recently, studies of stress have shifted from demonstrating relationships between psychological factors and somatic outcomes, to investigations of the mediational pathways involved in these associations. For example, (Cohen and Williamson, 1991) have built on the work of Lazarus’ model by suggesting that once an environmental event is encountered, it is appraised, and an affective response is made. After this response is made, a cascade of behavioral and physiological processes is activated. Behavioral factors such as increased alcohol use, reduced exercise, changes in sleep quantity/quality, and changes in diet, have shown to be related to stress. In turn, stress-related changes are associated with many hormonal fluctuations known to influence susceptibility to disease (Schedlowski and Tewes, 1999).
It’s not a big surprise that stress is a factor in heath, the phrase “stress will kill you” is used often enough that people get the concept quite well. However most ignore the common warning signs of high level stresses leading to endless health issues, breaking down the quality of life. In the movie “Stress of a Portrait killer”, focuses on living and work environments capable of increasing stress levels effecting health. The study by a researcher in Holland linked stress induction during fetal life from people born during the Dutch Holland Winter of 1944. Her study results concluded, during pregnancy when the mothers were exposed to high levels of stress, the fetus was negatively affected in levels that lasted throughout their lives. The
The purpose of this paper is to define stress and how it effects the body's physiological systems. This paper will include the normal functions and organs involved in the following five physiological systems, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, immune and musculoskeletal. This paper will also include a description of a chronic illness associated with each physiological system and how the illness is affected by stress.
In this increasingly globalised world, there are many factor that affected people mentally. It is a common thing for every human being to confront with psychological suffers. Each individual has different level of sensitivity. Most of the time women are considered as a sensitive and emotional gender. Women are proven to be more mentally stressed than men. They have a special hormone that could affect the emotion and the way of women thinking is differed from men. Body image issue in society also forces women to suffer from stress.
In the alarm stage, the body encounters a stressor. The stressor will cause the body to react with the fight or flight response.Next, the nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis will be activated. The body system will then release ‘stress’ hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and noradrenaline. Blood pressure and heart rate will begin to increase.
Stress is responsible for producing a variety of physical symptoms that can cause discomfort to any part of the body. For instance, Carlson (2010) asserted that chest pain, muscle twitches, palpitations or even headaches could be all signs of an increase in stress. As a consequence, chronic pain becomes worse and more unbearable. Furthermore, one could argue that stress involves behavioural changes and emotional reactions as well and thus, stress if regarded as only bad; people seem to fail observing that it can have a positive impact on their lives as well (Rudinger, 1988). Moreover, as Pinel (2006) suggested, there is evidence that patterns of sleep, brain activity, mood, diet could suffer modification for people under treme...
( no updated date) to the current date. Penn State University Division of Sport Psychology. 29 May 2002 < http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/m/sms18/kines321/stress.html>.
Stress is an unspecific emotion that it occurs in external tests such as physiological and severe environmental physics. It has been a...
In turn, these expectations lead to men and women handling stress and negative situations differently, and the development of mental illness typically stems from there, with some genders being more prone to certain disorders than the other (“Gender and women’s health”). For example, common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are predominated by women, and are possibly brought on by socioeconomic disadvantage, income inequality, or a subordinate social rank. In comparison, males are more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence and antisocial personality disorder, possibly due to pressure of being the prime provider for the family, or the expectation of internalizing any negative thoughts or emotions. However, not only are gender roles detrimental to mental health, they also have a negative effect on its diagnosis and treatment of men and women, further promoting the inequities. Gender bias has shown to be a strong factor in the treatment of psychological illnesses, and can often result in misdiagnoses. For example, according to the World Health Organization, even if both patients present identical symptoms, doctors are more likely to diagnose depression in a woman than a man (“Gender disparities in
Everly, G.S., Lating J.M. (2002). A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response. 233 Spring Street New York: Plenum Publishers
We have posed Research Questions that fall in line with what we intend to study. They are differences in stress between genders, stress levels and academic performance, life satisfaction between genders and finally, stress levels against life satisfaction.
Stress is defined as “any circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one’s well-being and thereby tax one’s coping abilities” (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 72). Stress is a natural event that exists literally in all areas of one’s life. It can be embedded in the environment, culture, or perception of an event or idea. Stress is a constant burden, and can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. However stress can also provide beneficial effects; it can satisfy one’s need for stimulation and challenge, promote personal growth, and can provide an individual with the tools to cope with, and be less affected by tomorrow’s stress (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 93).
First, stress is defined as an unpleasant state of emotional and physiological arousal that people experience in situations that they perceive as dangerous or threatening to their well being (Patel, 14). Stress is a universal feeling to everyone but the word stress means different things to different people. Some people define stress as events or situations that cause them to feel tension, pressure or negative emotions such as anxiety or anger (Patel, 15). Other people may view stress as a process involving a person’s interpretation and response to a threatening event. In any case, stress has many facets of how one perceives and responds to the certain predicament that is ailing them.