(Part - 1) - Meeting Life Challenges Class 12 Psychology

Introduction

• Stress refers to the pattern of responses an organism has to a stimulus event that disrupts the individual's state of equilibrium and impedes their ability to cope.
• There are two types of stress:
  • Eustress, which is beneficial to the individual and helps them stay motivated. Eustress is instrumental in achieving optimal performance in an essential task.
  • Distress, on the other hand, is detrimental to the individual since this level of stress undeniably hinders their ability to cope, and it can emotionally, mentally, and physically exhaust them.

Nature, Types and Sources of Stress

•  While waiting to cross the road on a busy Monday morning, individuals might experience temporary stress. However, being alert, vigilant, and aware of the surrounding dangers enables them to safely navigate the road. 
•  When faced with challenges, people tend to exert additional efforts and utilize all available resources and support systems to overcome these obstacles. Stress, often triggered by challenges, problems, and difficult circumstances, can actually enhance one's chances of survival if managed effectively. 
•  Stress can be likened to electricity; it provides energy, boosts human arousal, and influences performance. Just as excessively high electric currents can damage appliances, high levels of stress can have negative effects, leading to a decline in performance. On the other hand, insufficient stress may result in feelings of lethargy and reduced motivation, impacting efficiency. 
•  It's essential to recognize that not all stress is inherently harmful or destructive. 'Eustress' refers to beneficial stress that contributes to peak performance and aids in managing minor crises. However, if not properly managed, eustress can escalate into 'distress,' which can cause wear and tear on the body. 
•  Stress can be defined as the series of responses an organism exhibits in response to a stimulus that disrupts equilibrium and surpasses an individual's coping abilities. 

Nature of stress

• The term "stress" originated from the Latin word "strictus" which means tight or narrow, and the verb "stringere" which means to tighten. These roots reflect the feeling of tightness and muscle constriction often associated with stress. 
• The reaction to an external stressor is called "strain". Stress can both cause and be a result of various factors. 
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  • Hans Selye, known as the pioneer of modern stress research, described stress as the body's generic reaction to various demands placed upon it.
  • Some scholars challenge Selye's theory, arguing that individuals can respond to stress in diverse ways, contrary to a uniform and generalized reaction.
  • Lazarus differentiated between two types of evaluations: primary and secondary. Primary evaluation involves perceiving a new or changing situation as positive, neutral, or negative in its outcomes.
    • Negative incidents are evaluated for potential harm, threat, or challenge they present. Harm assessment focuses on past damage caused by an event.
    • Threat evaluation centers on forecasting potential future harm resulting from an incident. Conversely, challenge evaluations are linked with a confident belief in the capacity to tackle stress effectively, potentially benefiting from the experience.
  • When an event is perceived as stressful, individuals usually engage in secondary assessment, which involves evaluating their coping mechanisms and available resources to address the harm, threat, or challenge posed by the situation.
    • These resources encompass mental, physical, personal, and social aspects. A positive attitude, good health, skills, and social support can reduce stress levels.
    • This two-step assessment process not only influences cognitive and behavioral responses but also impacts emotional and physiological reactions to external circumstances.

Signs and symptoms of stress

• Individual differences in coping patterns of stress response lead to variations in the intensity of warning signals or signs of stress. 
• The warning signs and symptoms of stress are subjective and may depend on the individual's perception of their intensity, duration, predictability, or complexity. 
• These warning signs may manifest as physical, emotional, cognitive, or behavioral symptoms of stress.

Types of Stress

The different forms of stress are explained as follows:

Physical and Environmental Stress: This type of stress occurs when we feel physically worn out and strained due to overexertion, inadequate sleep, and an unbalanced diet. Environmental stress includes noise and air pollution as well as unclean surroundings that can make us feel stressed.

Psychological Stress:  

• Stresses from Our Minds: These stresses are self-generated and unique to each individual, originating internally. They include worrying about issues, experiencing anxiety, or feeling depressed. While these are symptoms of stress, they also contribute to further stress. Key sources of psychological stress encompass frustration, conflicts, internal pressures, and social influences.
• Frustration:

  Frustration arises when our needs and desires are obstructed by external factors, leading to an inability to achieve desired objectives. Causes of frustration vary from social biases to personal setbacks like poor academic performance.

• Conflicts:

  Conflicts emerge when there are competing needs or desires, such as deciding between pursuing interests like dance or psychology. They can also manifest in dilemmas like choosing between further education and employment.

• Internal Pressures:

  Internal pressures stem from self-imposed beliefs and expectations, often unrealistic, such as the compulsion for flawless performance in all endeavors. These high standards can lead to disappointment and stress.

• Social Pressures:

  Social pressures result from individuals making excessive demands on us, creating stress when we interact with them. Interpersonal conflicts, like clashes of personality, can compound these pressures, intensifying the stress we experience.

Social Stress: It arises from our interpersonal relationships and interactions with others. For instance, breaking up with a friend or the death of a close family member can cause social stress. Like psychological stress, social stress is also subjective in nature.

Sources of Stress

The sources of stress are explained as follows:

• Life Events: Changes in life, both small and significant, can happen and some are pre-planned, making them easier to handle, such as changing schools. However, there are significant changes that are unpredictable in nature and difficult to deal with, such as the death of a close family member.
• Traumatic Events: These events leave a profound impact on the victims and affect them psychologically and emotionally. Traumatic events are not recurring in nature, such as rape or a terrorist attack.
• Hassles: Day-to-day stressful situations, such as noisy surroundings or stressful jobs, add to our stress level. Social support is essential in such cases as it aids an individual in coping with hassles.

Effects of Stress on Psychological Functioning and Health

The impact of stress on psychological functioning is described in the following ways:

• Emotional effects: People who experience emotional stress tend to have mood swings and become emotionally unstable, which can cause them to distance themselves from family and friends and negatively affect their self-confidence and self-esteem.
• Physiological effects: During stressful situations, the body produces hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can be helpful in the short-term but harmful to our overall well-being in the long-term. Examples of physiological effects include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
• Cognitive effects: Excessive stress can lead to mental overload and hinder our cognitive abilities, such as memory, decision-making, and concentration.
• Behavioral effects: Stress can impact our behavior in several ways, including reduced intake of nutritious food, disturbed sleep patterns, poor work performance, and increased consumption of alcohol and drugs.

Stress and Health

The following are explanations of the effects of stress on health:

• When we experience high levels of stress, we can feel physically drained, fatigued, and anxious.
• Burnout is the state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress.
• Stress is a major contributing factor to conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and a rapid heart rate.
• Between 50-60% of medical appointments are related to health problems caused by stress.

General Adaptation Syndrome(GAS)

The main features of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model are explained as follows:

• Selye conducted experiments on both humans and animals under stressful conditions to study the bodily responses in each.
• These experiments included subjecting animals to high temperatures and administering insulin injections in the laboratory.
• Selye observed that both animals and humans showed similar patterns of bodily response, which he called the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).

GAS has three stages:
(i) Alarm Reaction Stage: The presence of a stressor triggers the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, preparing the body for a fight or flight response.
(ii) Resistance Stage: With prolonged stress, the parasympathetic nervous system conserves body resources and enables us to cope with the stressor.
(iii) Exhaustion Stage: Excessive exposure to prolonged stress leads to exhaustion, depleting the body's resources to deal with the stressful situation.

During the exhaustion stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome model, the physiological systems that were activated during the alarm and resistance stages become less effective, which may increase the likelihood of developing high blood pressure.

Stress and Immune System

• Stress and Immune System: Stress can lead to illness by disrupting the immune system's functioning, which protects the body from internal and external threats.
• Psychoneuroimmunology: This field explores the connections among the mind, brain, and immune system, specifically focusing on how stress impacts immune responses.
• Immune System Overview: White blood cells in the immune system detect and eliminate foreign substances like viruses, triggering antibody production in the process.
• Types of White Blood Cells: The immune system contains various white blood cells such as T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells, each serving different roles in immune defense.
• Impact of Stress on Immune System: Stress can reduce natural killer cell activity, crucial in combating infections and cancer, leading to weakened immunity.
• Effects of Social Support: Individuals receiving social support exhibit better immune function, highlighting the influence of social connections on health.
• Interplay of Emotions and Health: Negative emotions linked to stress, like depression and anger, can affect immune function and overall well-being.
• Psychological Disorders and Stress: Prolonged stress contributes to psychological issues such as panic attacks, obsessions, and mood swings, impacting mental and physical health.
• Emotions and Health Outcomes: Feelings of hopelessness and negative moods are associated with worsened health conditions, increased injury risks, and elevated mortality rates across various causes.

Lifestyle

• The concept of lifestyle refers to the collective decisions and actions that an individual makes in their daily life, which can significantly impact their overall health and well-being.
• There is a clear link between high levels of stress and an unhealthy lifestyle characterized by poor dietary choices, disrupted sleep patterns, and lack of exercise or physical activity.
• In contrast, a healthy and proper lifestyle includes several key elements such as positive thinking, consumption of a nutritious diet, regular exercise, and social support.

Coping with Stress