Stress
as a Response Complex
The
concept of stress as a factor in human experience has been viewed in several
ways. In 1956, Hans Selye described stress as a physiological response pattern.
In his General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model, stress is a response variable. Stress
functions as a defense and the response patterns has three stages: alarm,
resistance, and exhaustion. When the stress response is severe, it may cause
diseases of adaptation (e.g., sleep deprivation, mental illness, heart disease)
and death.
In 1983,
Selye included a role for cognition—the way people think about stress can lead
to positive or negative outcomes. The idea of coping with stress is a part of
the model as reflected in the idea of adapting and the role of cognition.
Stress
and Transactional Theory
Richard
Lazarus (1966; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) developed the Transactional Theory
of Stress and Coping (TTSC). In this theory, stress results from the
transaction between people and their environments. There are multiple
intrapersonal systems such as cognitive, physiological, affective,
psychological, and neurological.
Susan
Kobassa (1979) employed the concept hardiness to encompass person characteristics
that enable some people to function well when confronted with the same life
events that negatively impacted others.
In 1966,
Lazarus identified cognitive appraisal of stress as the key to understanding how
people cope with stressors.
Coping
responses are quite diverse. Cognitive approaches include therapies and meditation.
Physical strategies include deep breathing and exercise. Environmental aids
include pets and music. Religious and spiritual methods include prayer and faith-based
meaning of life events. Forgiveness has also been
viewed from the perspective of stress and coping theory (e.g., Worthington,
2020).
Religious and Spiritual Coping- Positive and Negative
Related Posts
Religious and Spiritual Coping- Positive and Negative
References
Kobasa,
S. C. (1979). Stressful life events, personality, and health – Inquiry into
hardiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(1),
1–11.
Lazarus,
R. S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process. New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Lazarus,
R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New
York: Springer.
Selye, H.
(1956). The stress of life. New York: McGraw Hill.
Worthington, E. L. Jr. (Ed.). (2020). Handbook of forgiveness:
Second edition. New York: Routledge.
Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is www.suttong.com
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