HPEX 354: Coping

and Adaptation

Chapter 1
The Nature of
Stress

Spring 20211
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Definitions of stress
Nature of stress
 Stress response
 Various types of stress and stressor
 General adaptation syndrome
 Stress in a changing world
 Stress and insomnia
 A holistic approach to stress management
“I cannot and should not
be cured of my stress,
but merely taught
to enjoy it.”
—Hans Selye

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 Times of Change & Uncertainty
• The terms “change” and “stress” are often used
synonymously.
• Typically, people don’t like change!
• We are living in a confluence of many changes coming
together. People are feeling overwhelmed.
• This, on top of personal stressors, compounds stress.
• Where there is change, however, there is opportunity!

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 THE NATURE OF STRESS
 Around 1960
 Hans Selye proposed that stress is part of the human
condition.

 About 1990
 The World Health Organization calls stress “a global
epidemic”.

 By the turn of the 21st century

 Stress has clearly become a way of life, although not
necessary a good one.
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The 24/7, on-demand, rushed
lifestyle often leaves people
overwhelmed, tired, burned out,
and frustrated;
STRESSED!

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 ISSUE OF PERSONAL BOUNDARIES
 Poor personal boundaries
• Boundaries between work and home
• Boundaries between technology and privacy
• Financial boundaries (massive credit card debt)
• Poor boundaries with television, Internet, food,
relationships, etc.

 Lack of boundaries combined with a lack of

community and belonging
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 THE NATURE OF 21ST CENTURY STRESS

 Research now indicates a solid link between lifestyles and

stress-related disease.
 40% adults suffer adverse health effects due to stress
 80% of visits to PCP are for stress-related complaints/
disorders
 Perhaps 70% to 80% of all diseases/illnesses are stress-
related
 Stress is linked to all leading causes of death
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 Death from Lifestyle Diseases

Figure 1.1 Leading causes of death in America

 STRESS
 Refers to two different things
 Stressor
• A situation, circumstances or stimulus that is perceived as
a threat and triggers physical and emotional reaction
 Stress response
• Physiological and emotional response to a stressor

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 Definitions of Stress
• Serge King: any change you encounter.
• Physiologically: wear and tear on the body.
• Psychologically: a state of anxiety.
• Eastern philosophies: an absence of inner peace.
• Western culture: a loss of emotional control.
• Holistic medicine: an inability to cope with a perceived threat to
one’s overall well-being.

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 Holistic Definitions of Stress
Stress is the experience of a perceived threat
(real or imagined) to one’s mental, physical,
spiritual or emotional well-being, resulting from a
series of physiological responses & adaptation.

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 STRESS DEFINED
• A state of anxiety produced when events and responsibilities
exceed one’s coping abilities. -Richard Lazarus

• A nonspecific response of the body to adapt to any demand,

whether it produces pleasure or pain. -Hans Selye

• The inability to cope with a perceived threat (real or imaginary)

to one’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being,
which results in a series of physiological responses and
adaptations. -Holistic Medicine View
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 THE STRESS RESPONSE
 Fight-or-Flight Response
 A defense reaction that prepares a person for fight or escape
by activating the nervous and endocrine system, triggering
hormonal, cardiovascular, metabolic & other changes.
 Some hormones
• Epinephrine
• Nor-epinephrine
• Cortisol

 Freeze Response?
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 THE STRESS RESPONSE

Stages of Fight or Flight Response

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 The Stress Response
 Physiological reactions
• Increased heart rate & blood pressure
• Increased ventilation
• Vasodilatation to periphery
• Increased serum glucose for metabolism
• Increased free fatty acids as energy source
• Increased blood clotting ability
• Increased muscular strength
• Decreased gastric activity
• Increased perspiration (to cool body temp)
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Tend and Befriend
by Shelley Taylor

Women who experience stress don’t

necessarily run or fight but rather turn to
friends to cope with unpleasant events.
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 TEND AND BEFRIEND THEORY

 Women have a second stress response: Connectedness

(an effective coping skill)
 “It is hardwired into women’s DNA, and revealed through hormones.”

 Oxytocin: the biologic basis

• Love hormone or cuddle hormone
• Trusting & social affiliation hormone
• Produced in hypothalamus,
• Released by posterior pituitary gland

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 TYPES OF STRESS
 Eustress
• Good stress. Example?
 Neustress
• Neutral stress. Example?
 Distress
• Bad stress. Example?
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 TYPES OF DISTRESS
 Acute Stress
• Resulting from specific events or situations that
involve novelty, unpredictability.
• Short in duration; but VERY intense
 Chronic Stress
• Resulting from repeated exposure to situations that
lead to the release of stress hormones.
• Much longer in duration; but not as intense.
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 THE YERKES-DODSON CURVE

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Beyond the optimal point, stress will surely affect performance and health .
 TYPES OF STRESSORS
• Bioecological influences
• Psychointrapersonal influences
• Social influences

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 TYPES OF STRESSORS

Bioecological

Psychointrapersonal

Social
 Biological rhythms
• Circadian
• Ultradian
• Infradian  We create through our
own mental process 23
 Overcrowding, traffic
jam, low SES
 Social Stress in America:
A 21st Century Look

 APA Yearly Survey on Stress (2014)

• Over half of adults (age 18-40): Stress level >5 (1-10 scale)
• Seniors have least and millennials have most stress
• Top 5 reasons for stress: financial, career, family, personal
health, & family health issues
• Women reported more stress than men 24
 GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME (GAS)

 A process in which the body tries to accommodate chronic stress by

adopting to it.
 Introduced by Hans Selye.
 Three stages of GAS
 1: Alarm Reaction
• Fight or Flight reaction after acute stress
 2: Stage of Resistance
• Continued stress develops a new level of homeostasis
 3. Stage of Exhaustion
• One (or more) of the targeted organs fails to function
properly with chronic stress 25
GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME (GAS)

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 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

 A debilitating mental disorder that follows after

a person has encountered a terrifying or
traumatic life-threatening experience.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms:
• Chronic anxiety • Nightmares
• Flashbacks • Insomnia
• Hypervigilance • Hyperarousal
• Emotional detachment
• Restlessness
• Substance addictions • Suicidal tendencies
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 STRESS IN A CHANGING WORLD

 College Stress

 Technostress

 Occupational Stress

 Seniors: The Stress of Aging

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STRESS IN A CHANGING WORLD

 College Stress
• Roommate dynamics
• Professional pursuits
• Academic deadlines
• Financial aid/loans
• Budgeting money
• Professional career path
• Peer pressure
• Lifestyle behaviors
• Friendships
• Sexuality/intimacy issues 30
 STRESS AND INSOMNIA
• Estimates suggest that
over 60% of Americans
are sleep deprived.

• Emotional stress is
thought to be the primary
cause of insomnia.

• The population of people

who seem to need the
most sleep, but often get
the least amount, are 31

adolescents.
 STRESS AND INSOMNIA

 Sleep hygiene
 A few suggestions to improve sleep quality
• Meditation
• A regular fitness program
• Keep a regular sleep cycle (circadian rhythms)
• Create and maintain a sleep-friendly environment
• Minimize/avoid caffeine after 6:00 p.m.
• Avoid screentime right before you go to bed.
• Make your bedroom a tech-free zone.
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 STRESS AND INSOMNIA

 Remember this
• Sleep is not recognized as an effective relaxation
technique.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO
STRESS MANAGEMENT

 To deal effectively with stress, all areas of wellness

must be addressed and nurtured equally.

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Figure 1.9 Sir Isaac Newton, proponent of the Mechanistic
Paradigm, and Einstein, the proponent of the Unified Field
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Theory, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
 HOLISTIC WELLNESS PARADIGM
Total wellness is the balance, integration, & harmony
of physical, intellectual, emotional & spiritual aspects
of the human condition, where the whole is always
greater than the sum of the parts.

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Figure 1.10 Two different perspectives of the same 37

wellness model paradigm.

HOLISTIC WELLNESS

 Emotional Wellbeing

 Mental Wellbeing

 Physical Wellbeing

 Spiritual Wellbeing
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EFFECTIVE HOLISTIC STRESS MANAGEMENT
• Sound knowledge to the body’s reaction to perceived stress.

• Sound knowledge of mental, physical, emotional & spiritual

factors associated with stress.

• Utilization of several effective coping techniques to work

toward a resolution of the cause of stress.

• Regular practice of relaxation techniques to maintain

homeostatic balance of the body.

• Periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of coping skills & 39

relaxation techniques.
 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q.1. Which stressor would be classified as a bioecological

influence?
• A) Poor diet
• B) Pessimism
• C) Inadequate sunlight
• D) Massive urban sprawl

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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q.2. According to comprehensive studies by the APA in

2014 and 2015, which demographic suffers from the most
stress?
• A)Teenagers
• B) Millennials
• C) Generation X
• D) Seniors
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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q.3. Which of the following characteristics is not typically

experienced in the fight-or-flight response?
• A) Increased heart rate
• B) Increased blood pressure
• C) Increased breathing rate
• D) Increased gastric movement
• E) Increased serum glucose levels
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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q. 4.The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

include:
 A) chronic anxiety.
 B) flashbacks.
 C) insomnia.
 D) restlessness.
 E) All of these are correct.
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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q.5. The “tend-and-befriend theory,” proposed by Shelley

Taylor, speaks best to the coping technique used by:
• A) women.
• B) AIDS patients.
• C) cancer patients.
• D) senior citizens.
• E) Iraq War veterans.
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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q. 6. Acute stress is not as intense as chronic stress,

initially.
• A) True
• B) False

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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q. 7. Experts agree that stress can best be defined as

the "rate of wear and tear on the body."
• A) True
• B) False

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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q. 8. The hormone oxytocin is credited with fostering

the “tend-and-befriend” effect.
• A) True
• B) False

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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q. 9. A paradigm shift means adopting Eastern

philosophies in the Western culture and society.
• A) True
• B) False

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 IN-CLASS EXERCISE

 Q. 10. Sleep can be used as an effective relaxation

technique.
• A) True
• B) False

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ANSWERS TO IN-CLASS EXERCISE QUESTIONS

• Q. 1. C
• Q. 2. B
• Q. 3. D
• Q. 4. E
• Q. 5. A
• Q. 6. B
• Q. 7. B
• Q. 8. A
• Q. 9. B
• Q. 10. B
• For Next Class
 Read Chapter 2 of your Textbook
 The Sociology of Stress (Page 27 to 34)

See You
on Tuesday, February 2