Question

1. According to Selye, what happens during the second phase of the GAS?

2. Describe two continuing sources of stress currently in your life. For each source of stress, propose a specific problem-focused or a specific emotion-focused coping strategy that is likely to effectively reduce your stress. Make sure you identify which strategy is problem-focused strategy and which one is the emotional-focused strategy.

Answer 1

SECTION - 01

As Canadian stress research pioneer Hans Selye (1976) observed, “To be totally without stress is to be dead.” That’s because stress is the mental and physical condition that occurs when we adjust or adapt to the environment.

General adaptation syndrome (GAS): A series of bodily reactions to prolonged stress; occurs in three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Selye (1976) noticed that the first symptoms of almost any disease or trauma (poisoning, infection, injury, or stress) are almost identical. The body responds in the same way to any stress, be it infection, failure, embarrassment, a new job, trouble at school, or a stormy romance. The GAS consists of three stages: an alarm reaction, a stage of resistance, and a stage of exhaustion.

In the alarm reaction, your body mobilizes its resources to cope with added stress. The pituitary gland signals the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. As these stress hormones are dumped into the bloodstream, some bodily processes are speeded up and others are slowed. This allows bodily resources to be applied where they are needed.

During the stage of resistance, bodily adjustments to stress stabilize. As the body’s defenses come into balance, symptoms of the alarm reaction disappear. Outwardly, everything seems normal. However, this appearance of normality comes at a high cost. The body is better able to cope with the original stressor, but its resistance to other stresses is lowered. It is during the stage of resistance that the first signs of psychosomatic disorders (physical disorders triggered by psychological factors) begin to appear.

Continued stress leads to the stage of exhaustion, in which the body’s resources are drained and stress hormones are depleted.

In short;

Alarm reaction – Symptoms of illness

Stage of resistance – Outward symptoms disappear

Stage of exhaustion – Psychosomatic illness

SECTION – 02

The two most common problems faced by me include the following;

1. Academic stress:

Problem-focused strategy: strategy relies on using active ways to directly tackle the situation that caused the stress: such as Analyze the situation, work harder, Pay attention, avoid taking on more responsibility than you can manage and time management.

Emotion-focused coping: listening to music, taking a walk to relax, or seeking emotional support from others.

2. Family stress:

Problem-focused strategy: find new standards of behavior that will be followed in order to eliminate the problem, improving one’s relationships, analysis and evaluation.

Emotion-focused coping: Going out with a friend, seeking social support

In emotion-focused coping, we try to control our emotional reactions to the situation. In contrast, problem-focused coping is aimed at managing or correcting the distressing situation itself.

In general, problem-focused coping tends to be especially useful when you are facing a controllable stressor - that is, a situation you can actually do something about. Emotion-focused efforts are best suited to managing your reaction to stressors you cannot control.