Key Points

Stress is the pattern of responses an organism makes to a stimulus event that disturbs its equilibrium and exceeds its ability to cope. It is an ongoing process involving individuals transacting with their environments.

Eustress is a positive form of stress that is beneficial for performance and managing minor crises. Distress is the negative manifestation of stress that causes the body's wear and tear and deteriorates performance.

Hans Selye, the father of modern stress research, defined stress as 'the nonspecific response of the body to any demand'. This means the body shows the same physiological reaction pattern regardless of the stressor.

This model states that an individual's response to stress depends on their interpretation or appraisal of the event. It involves two stages: primary and secondary appraisal.

Primary appraisal is assessing an event as positive, neutral, or negative (harm, threat, or challenge). Secondary appraisal is assessing one's coping abilities and resources to handle the event.

Major types are Physical, Environmental, Psychological, and Social stress. Key sources include major Life Events, daily Hassles, and Traumatic Events.

Stress has four major effects: Emotional (anxiety, mood swings), Physiological (increased heart rate, hormone release), Cognitive (poor concentration, memory loss), and Behavioural (unhealthy eating, substance use).

Developed by Hans Selye, GAS describes the body's three-stage response to prolonged stress. The stages are Alarm Reaction, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

The Alarm Reaction is the initial fight-or-flight response. The Resistance stage involves the body trying to cope with the prolonged stress. The Exhaustion stage occurs when the body's resources are depleted, leading to illness.

Psychoneuroimmunology studies how stress affects the immune system. Stress can weaken the immune system by reducing the effectiveness of white blood cells (leucocytes), making one more vulnerable to illness.

Coping is a dynamic, situation-specific reaction to stress, involving cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage demands. How we cope is more important than the amount of stress we experience.

Endler and Parker identified three strategies: Task-oriented, Emotion-oriented, and Avoidance-oriented. Lazarus and Folkman distinguished between Problem-focused coping (addressing the problem) and Emotion-focused coping (managing feelings).

Effective techniques include Relaxation, Meditation, Biofeedback, Creative Visualisation, Cognitive Behavioural Techniques, and regular Exercise. These methods help reduce the physiological and psychological effects of stress.

A cognitive behavioural technique developed by Meichenbaum, it aims to replace negative, irrational thoughts with positive, rational ones. It involves assessment, stress reduction techniques, and application phases.

Kobasa identified three characteristics ('the three Cs') in people who resist stress well: Commitment (involvement), Control (a sense of purpose), and Challenge (viewing change as an opportunity).

Life skills are adaptive abilities that help deal with life's challenges. Key skills include Assertiveness, Time Management, Rational Thinking, Improving Relationships, and Self-care.

Factors that promote positive health and act as stress buffers include a balanced diet, regular exercise, a positive attitude, optimistic thinking, and social support.

Social support is the availability of people we can rely on for care and love. It can be tangible (material aid), informational (advice), or emotional (reassurance), and it protects against the negative effects of stress.

Resilience is the capacity to 'bounce back' and maintain positive adjustment under challenging conditions. It is associated with feelings of self-worth, problem-solving skills, and a belief that life has purpose.