Question

Discuss how the general adaptation syndrome may affect college students over the course of a stressful semester. Make reference to the Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion phases.

Answer 1

The first stage in Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model is the alarm reaction stage. This of the GAS prepares a person to respond to the stressor they are experiencing. During the beginning of a stressful semester, students have to deal with exhausting class schedules, difficult course material and challenging assignments. Students are likely to adopt the “fight or flight" response. The next is the resistance stage, in which the body tries to counteract the physiological changes that happened during the alarm reaction stage. Students are likely to continue experiencing stress over the course of the semester. Their bodies will stay in a state of alert, and stress hormones will continue to be produced. This physical response can lead to the students struggling to concentrate and becoming irritable. The last stage is the exhaustion stage. At this stage, the students have depleted their energy resources by continually trying but failing to recover from the initial alarm reaction stage. They are likely to suffer from stress-related illness.