Stress and theories of stress

Stress And Its Theories

2

Ibad Ahmad (195-FSS\BSSOC\F12)

International Islamic University Islamabad


Stress And Theories of Stress

Hans Selye And Anais Nin and Stress

The term “stress”, as it is currently

used, was coined by Hans Selye in

1936, who defined it as “the non-

specific response of the body to any

demand for change”.


What is Stress?

Best possible definitions for Stress.

• Stress is the body's reaction to a

change that requires a physical,

mental or emotional adjustment or

response.

• Stress is your body's way of

responding to any kind of demand.

It can be caused by both good and

bad experiences.

• The adverse reaction people have

to excessive pressures or other

types of demand placed on them at

work.


What are the Causes Of Stress?Many different things can cause stress -- from physical

(such as fear of something dangerous) to emotional (such

as worry over your family or job.)

• Survival Stress - You may have heard the phrase "fight or

flight" before. When you are afraid that someone or

something may physically hurt you, your body naturally

responds with a burst of energy so that you will be better

able to survive the dangerous situation (fight) or escape it

all together (flight). This is survival stress.

• Internal Stress - Have you ever caught yourself worrying

about things you can do nothing about or worrying for no

reason at all? Internal stress is when people make

themselves stressed. This often happens when we worry

about things we can't control or put ourselves in situations

we know will cause us stress.

• Environmental Stress - This is a response to things around

you that cause stress, such as noise, crowding, and pressure

from work or family. Identifying these environmental

stresses and learning to avoid them or deal with them will

help lower your stress level.

• Fatigue and Overwork - This kind of stress builds up over a

long time and can take a hard cost on your body. It can be

caused by working too much or too hard at your job(s),

school, or home.


What are the effects of Stress?

Stress effects people in different ways some of which

are as follows:

• their background and culture.

• their skills and experience.

• their personality.

• their personal circumstances.

• their individual characteristics.

• their health status.

• their ethnicity, gender and age.

• other demands both in and outside work.


Theories of Stress

Following are the Theories of Stress:

• James-Lange: Theory of Emotion

• Cannon-Bard: The Emergency Theory

• Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Emotion


James-Lange Theory of Emotion

Event ==> arousal ==> interpretation ==> emotion

The bodily sensation prepares us for action, as in the

Fight-or-Flight reaction. Emotions grab our attention

and at least attenuate slower cognitive processing.

This is not a new theory and was proposed in 1884.

It combined the ideas of William James and Danish

physiologist Carl Lange, who largely independently

arrived at the same conclusion. William James

described it thus:

According to this theory, witnessing an external

stimulus leads to a physiological reaction. Your

emotional reaction depends upon how you interpret

those physical reactions. For example, suppose you

are walking in the woods and you see a grizzly bear.

You begin to tremble and your heart begins to race.

The James-Lange theory proposes that you will

interpret your physical reactions and conclude that

you are frightened ("I am trembling, therefore I am

afraid.")


Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion is a physiological explanation of emotion developed by Walter Cannon and Philip Bard.

Cannon-Bard theory states that we feel emotions and experience physiological reactions such as sweating, trembling and muscle tension simultaneously. More specifically, it is suggested that emotions result when the thalamus sends a message to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting in a physiological reaction.

Event ==> Simultaneous arousal and emotion

According to the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, we react to a stimulus and experience the associated emotion at the same time.

Example:

I see a bear. I feel afraid. I tense in readiness to run away.


Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Emotion

In the absence of physiological arousal, we decide what

to feel after interpreting or explaining what has just

happened. Two things are important in this: whether we

interpret the event as good or bad for us, and what we

believe is the cause of the event.

Event ==> thinking ==> Simultaneous arousal and

emotion

In primary appraisal, we consider how the situation

affects our personal well-being. In secondary appraisal

we consider how we might cope with the situation.

This is sometimes also called Lazarus Theory or

Appraisal Theory.

Example:

When a colleague gets promoted, I might feel resentful

if I think I deserve the promotion more than they do.


Thanks for your Attention

Any Question!


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Stress and theories of stress