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Responses to stress and stressor
Psychological aspects of stress
Biopsychology of stress
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Psychological and physical well-being and the overall quality of life are under a constant threat of stress and thus, psychological and medical sciences have long been concerned with studying stress response. Cox (1979) claimed that because of the poor understanding and defining it, the concept of stress tends to be rather elusive. The term, “stress”, commonly describes any physchological or physical alteration that deranges the organism’s homeostasis (or balance). This essay reviews some of the biological factors involved in stress and it has been organized in the following way. The paper begins by briefly introducing the concept of stress. It will then go on to discus and describe the automatic response (fight or flight reaction), hormonal changes and the effects of cortisol on heart rate, breathing, blood flow and immune system changes. Furthermore, I will discuss the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response system and finally, briefly highlighting the stress-induced effects on the hippocampus.
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...
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Each bodily physiological system has an individual established set point, or level of balance; however, some fluctuations in these levels are tolerated. The balance of any system can be, and regularly is, disturbed by internal and/or external events of the mechanical, physical, chemical, biological, and/or social types. When this balance is disrupted, and involuntary mobilizations of biological processes are not able to re-establish it, an alarm reaction is activated (Schedlowski and Tewes, 1999). This reaction is referred to as a stress response, and the activating agent is the stressor (Selye, 1936). 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.
To a great extent, stress can be a helpful response, especially for prehistoric humans. During this era, our species needed to react quickly to outside stimuli through a response of “fight or flight”. Through stress, certain hormones are released to help the individual resist the stressor, which may have meant running away from a natural predator. Thus, stress is a positive response that ensures the survival of the species. However, stress over a prolonged period of time causes exhaustion in the individual. Consequently, although stress can be helpful for individuals today, many often experience chronic stress, inflicting varying degrees of damage to their bodies.
In the 2008 National Geographic documentary Stress, Robert Sapolsky and other scientists explain the deadly consequences of prolonged stress. “If you’re a normal mammal,” Sapolsky says, “what stress is about is three minutes of screaming terror on the savannah, after which either it’s over with or you’re over with.” During those three minutes of terror the body responds to imminent danger by deploying stress hormones that stimulate the heart rate and blood pressure while inhibiting other functions, like digestion, growth and reproduction.
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.
Many people think of stress as a simple problem. In reality however, stress is complex and often misunderstood. We all know that stress is the body’s reaction to any demand on it. Perceptions of events, whether positive or negative, activate stress. It is, therefore, a highly individual affair. What is stressful to ‘X’ may not be so to another. But it is fairly easy to conclude that everyone lives under a certain amount of stress. In fact, the only people without stress are dead. At the same time it is certainly wrong to conclude that stress is always bad. Mild stress may improve the productivity. It may force people to focus more sharply on the problem and produce solutions. But if stress is severe and persist for long periods of time, it can be harmful. Stress can be disruptive to an individual as any
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Seward, B. (2012). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. (7th ed.). Burlington, Ma: Jones and Barlett Publishing.
Kumar, Anil, Puneet Rinwa, Gurleen Kaur, and Lalit Machawal. "Stress: Neurobiology, consequences, and management." Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences, 2013: 1-7.
Occupational stress is strongly associated with health complains more than financial or family problems. Psychological demanding jobs that allow the workers little control on the process of work increase risks of cardiovascular disease, job stress also increases the risk of back and upper musculoskeletal disorders. The article shows that the employees who have high stress levels have a substantial health service utilization.
A relatively new concept involving brain and behavior, Hans Selye first proposed the idea of stress as a normal adaptive syndrome, a fight-or- flight situation, very similar to escape behavior (1). Stress is defined as "the set of all organic reactions to physical, psychic, infectious, or other, aggressions, which are capable to disturb homeostasis" (1). Stress lies at the intersection between personal, social, and economic factors and biology. Although stress is an important, integral part of our existence, there is a point at which it becomes overwhelming and our adaptive responses may break down (2). The breaking point varies from person to person, depending on past experiences, coping responses, and genetics (2). Clearly, socio-economics has a lot to do with the ability to cope with stress over time. We may know of some people that are inherently better able to deal with life's stressors. However, genetic bases for dealing and coping with stress are unknown at this time. Stress, usually used to describe a state of mind, illustrates the important connection between mind and body. Although stress is primarily a neuronal reaction, it's effects reach far past neurobiology. Stress is thought to adversely aff...
Everyday, there are workers who come home from their jobs with a high amount of health issues. Headaches, aching muscles, exhaustion, and many more health issues have workers wondering why this is happening. All of these symptoms can be linked to stress in the workplace. Job stress has become more of a problem than ever before. Numerous studies show that job stress is the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades (“Workplace Stress,” 2004).
"Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress; 75 to 90 percent of all physician office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints; stress is linked to the six leading causes of death--heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide." (Miller, 1993, p.12) " Stress plays havoc with our health, our productivity, our pocketbooks, and our lives, but it is necessary, even desirable." (Oxford, 1998, p.29)
Stress is defined as “any circumstance that threatens or is 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).