General Adaptation Syndrome (Stress-Adaptation Syndrome)
Hans Selye (1976) divided his stress syndrome into three stages and, in doing so, pointed out the seriousness of prolonged stress on the body and the need for identification and intervention.
- Alarm stage – This is the immediate physiological (fight or flight) response to a threat or perceived threat.
- Resistance – If the stress continues, the body adapts to the levels of stress and attempts to return to homeostasis.
- Exhaustion – With prolonged exposure and adaptation, the body eventually becomes depleted. There are no more reserves to draw upon, and serious illness may now develop (e.g., hypertension, mental disorders, cancer). Selye teaches us that without intervention, even death is a possibility at this stage.
CLINICAL PEARL: Identification and treatment of chronic, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and unresolved grief, including multiple (compounding) losses, are critical in an attempt to prevent serious illness and improve quality of life.
Fight-or-Flight Response
In the fight-or-flight response, if a person is presented with a stressful situation (danger), a physiological response (sympathetic nervous system) activates the adrenal glands and cardiovascular system, allowing a person to rapidly adjust to the need to fight or flee a situation.
- Such physiological response is beneficial in the short term: for instance, in an emergency situation.
- However, with ongoing, chronic psychological stressors, a personcontinues to experience the same physiological response as if there were a real danger, which eventually physically and emotionally depletes the body.
Diathesis-Stress Model
The diathesis-stress model views behavior as the result of genetic and biological factors. A genetic predisposition results in a mental disorder (e.g., mood disorder or schizophrenia) when precipitated by environmental factors.
