General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) and Stress

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 pattern 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.

See also Stress and Coping Theory

Reference

Selye, H. (1956). The stress of life. New York: McGraw Hill.

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

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

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Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.

Burnout

 

Burnout is a condition marked by a decrease in performance and motivation and an increase in negative comments about oneself or others.

Burnout can be experienced in one or more areas of functioning. See the SCOPES model

S  Self- loss of interest in previously important personal development or self-enhancing activities; lowered interest in vital spiritual or religious activities

C  Cognition- thinking, problem-solving

O  Observable behavior- sluggishness, apathy

P  Physical-tired,

E  Emotional-feeling angry, loss of happiness and enthusiasm

S  Social- not wanting to interact with others, feeling negative toward others

Burnout is common in occupations or activities involving high levels of work with people—especially aggressive people, people who require high levels of attention, or people dealing with acute trauma

Burnout also occurs in activities requiring continuous high levels of performance.

The term burnout (burn-out) is attributed to psychologist Herbert J. Freudenberger (1974).

Job stress can lead to burnout and may be inversely related to job satisfaction in teachers regardless of working in regular or special education settings (Sutton & Huberty, 1984).

A review of research indicated burnout was linked to multiple effects including physical or health effects, psychological effects including depression, and changes in behavior such as absenteeism (Salvagioni et al., 2017).

How to Measure burnout

   The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory

References

Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burn-out. Journal of Social Issues, 30,159-165.

Salvagioni, D., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & Andrade, S. M. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PloS one, 12(10), e0185781. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185781

 

Sutton, G.W., & Huberty, T.J. (1984). An evaluation of teacher stress and job satisfaction. Education, 105, 189‑192. Academia Link  Research Gate Link

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Stress and Coping Theory

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).

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

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.