PSYC3100 STRESS, COPING AND HEALTH

PSYC3100 Stress, Coping and Health

PSYC3100 Stress, Coping and Health

Stress

The condition of stress is traditionally described as a negative condition which has the ability to influence the physical and mental well-being of an individual. Stress represents the unavoidable and ubiquitous experience in everyday life and these events are raised from either the external environment or from within the body. The human body possesses strong mechanism to combat the stress. A hormone known as cortisol is produced by the secretion of adrenal glands among these mechanisms and these glands are located atop the kidneys. In the absence of cortisol any living being is not able to respond suitably towards numerous kinds of mental or physical stress (Steptoe, Wardle, Pollard, Canaan, and Davies, 1996).

The term 'stress' was first used by Walter Cannon to pertain to the physiological reaction that may emerge because of the observation of threatening or due to aversive situations. The phrase 'fight or flight' was also introduced by him which referred to the responses that are used by an animal to prepare in order to deal with the threats that are posed by a predator. The common threats that human beings come across include the irritation of noise, pressures of deadlines, the throes of poverty and the frustrations caused by the traffic jams. A stressful situation is perceived by the brain, and ultimately, the brains sends the alarm signals through hormones and nerves to warn the body to prepare for “fight-or-flight” (Pearling, 1991).

Stress refers to the response of the human organism to strain, negative emotions, or simply monotonous fuss. During stress, the body produces the hormone adrenaline, which makes the individuals look for a way out. Stress in small amounts is necessary for all, because it makes people think to find a way out of the problem, and with no stress at all, life would be boring. But on the other hand, if the stress becomes too much and the body weakens and loses strength and ability to solve problems, this problem gets prolonged. Mechanisms of stress are studied in detail and are quite complex: they are related to the endocrine, nervous and vascular systems. It should be noted that the strong stress affect health. Stress lowers the immune system and is the cause of many diseases (cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, etc.). Therefore, one must be able to resist stress and ask to keep positive attitudes. The psychological pressure necessary to cause stress is a psycho-physiological response to an emergency. Three types of cases can cause this emergency response:

rapid changes (positive or negative);

threats or dangers we face (objectively justified or not); and

Our impression (justified or not) have to react quickly to the situation (Nesselroade, 2000).

When we are in an emergency situation, our body mobilizes intensely to be able to cope adequately. It is the adrenaline that can instantly make available the resources of our organization. It increases the sharpness of our senses and our perceptions, our fast reflexes and the strength of our ...