Shubhra P Gaur

Hans Selye-2nd year student at University of PragueI will always

remember the first lesson of Dr Von Jaksch
I was deeply impressed by the logic of his interrogation and

precision of his observations, based on many years of experience awe inspiring spectaclea correct diagnosis of so many different cases without the use of instruments or chemical examination After the initial amazement .. I had a sudden thought..why had the Prof not said anything regarding the obviousall patientshad something in common..they looked sick..indisposed, looked tired, had loss of appetite ,didnt feel like going to work , preferred to lie down rather than stand.. Today we say they show non specific manifestations of disease.

Selye approached his Physiology prof enthusiastically for permission to work on his ideas ..he laughed
And said If a person is sick naturally he looks sick. If

you look at a fat person you can say he is fat.What of it WITH THIS Selye began his lifetime of study in stress .. He found that patients with widely differing diseases looked the same ...just sick Analogy drawn by Prof seemed to fail True fat people looked fat but why did people with widely differing diseases look same?

Selyes definition after years of research

Stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any

demand.
He also clarified that situations producing such

nonspecific response need not be necessarily unpleasant. even the pleasant one will elicit the same physiological reaction.

What is stress?some definitions

Stress consists of any event in which the

environmental demands, internal demands or both tax or exceed the internal resources of the individual, social system or tissue system. (Farmer, Monahan & Hekeler,1984) Stress is the result of an interaction between the person and the environment which forces on a person a demand, a constraint or an opportunity for behaviour. (Bailey & Bhagat,1987)

Two analogies from Physics and Hookes Law

Hookes law: 1. Load is the external force

Stress is the ratio of the external force (created by load) to the area over which the force is applied Strain is the resultant deformation in the object If metals breakdown under constant overload how about individuals?

2.

If a certain amount of force is applied to an iron wire it remains unaffected-same amount of force if applied to silk thread it breaks
Capacity of an object to withstand stress depends on the inherent characteristics: toughnesss,tensility,strength. Human beings differ in these inherent characteristics.

Important points
Both pleasant and unpleasant events can cause stress Distress Eustress Both under or over stimulation may cause stress Hypo hyper It is peoples perception that makes the event stressful
People differ in the ways they can take stress.

Some terms we will use

The term stressors is used to denote events or

properties of events (stimuli) that are encountered by individuals, The term strain is used to denote the individual's emotional, physiological and behavioural responses to stressors, The term outcomes to denote the consequences of strain at both the individual and organizational level the term stress to denote the overall process incorporating stressors, strains and coping responses.

Sources of stress:stressors-1
Physiological Intrapsychic-peculiar Type A Aggressively involved in

personality related excessive anger or

depression proneness, Authoritarian personality Irrational thinking

a chronic incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time and if needed against all odds

Sources of stress:stressors-2
home Home-job interface work

Life cycle stressschool-retirement Relocation due to any reason Lifestyle stress Major life stressmarriage,child birth,old age, death of loved one,etc Daily hassles

Competition with colleagues Dual careers Transfer & relocation

Qualitative and quantitative work overload Role related stressors Decision making Relationships within the organization Power in relation to responsibility Career development Organizational interface with self and family Stressors specific to working women

Some stressors are pure examples of psychologically threatening events

They have the stress value not because of the objective

ability to harm but because the person perceives them as threatening Individuals differ in their ability to cope with perceived stressors Since they are dependent on personal appraisal they are not equally threatening for all persons The physiological systems used and affected by psychological stressors are the same as the ones affected by the physiological stressors

Consequences of stress-1
Physiological Hypertension-angina and heart attacks Immune system -viral, rheumatoid arthritis, Laughing, writing, bonding improved the immunity Emotional Anxiety-unpleasant emotional state, physiological arousal accompanying apprehension, guilt and sense of impending disaster Anger-express,bottle,distort Depression-self devaluation, feelings of guilt & worthlessness, dejection & pervasive pessimistic outlook

Consequences of stress-2
Behavioural: on relationships Arguments & fights over trivial matters Overdependence Uncommunicativeness Unreasonableness Withdrawal of love Lack of interest in or over interest in sex Cognitive Greater attention on negative aspects of life Inability to concentrate Overemphasis on self than on the task Problems of retrieval/recall from memory Reduced response to incidental data Narrowing span of attention

Heart Diseases
There are two main types of heart disease angina pectoris, commonly known as angina (less serious) it results in chest pains, usually after physical exertion, because the blood flow to the heart muscle is insufficient to provide the additional oxygen required. and myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. A heart attack results from a blockage of an artery supplying the heart with blood. A narrowed artery is more easily blocked by a deposit or blood clot.

Coping refers to behaviour by which an individual attempts to deal with stress and in the process is able to relieve himself of the ill effects of stressors.

Coping strategies: functional/dysfunctional

Approach: Problem- focussed
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Avoidance : Emotion-focussed Problem is directly tackled 1. Take leave on some pretext Call a meeting 2. Go off to sleep Take expert advice 3. Turn to alcohol Have a brainstorming 4. Smoking/taking drugs session 5. Binging Read more Collect more information
Solves the problem Relieves anxiety, fear, Worry

1-2 Important in initial stages and severe stress

Costs & benefits

Approach
Expensive in terms of time

Avoidance
May seem to be less expensive

and energy required The net effective value is greater

in terms of time and energy consumption initially but May finally drain a persons coping resources

What makes a person choose emotion focussed coping?

Low confidence
Low self efficacy Lack of sufficient knowledge, information and skills

Stress reactivity
We may be remarkably resilient to stress and may be

expert problem solvers and copers yet our physiological and psychological balance may end up being negatively impacted because of the automatic reactions which get triggered. AWARENESS of our bodily response and gradual control by moving to problem focussed coping is the answer to avoid frequent stimulation of the ANS This leads to speedier return of the normal body equilibrium Identify your Achilles heel

Magic tips
Identify factors that lie within ones control

and those which are not so that the effort of the individual does not go waste. This avoids frustration Take a break for activities that one enjoys Companionship of persons /even pets Music Talking to a trusted person/counsellor /even writing helps Relaxation Exercises

Myths and Facts about stress-1

Myths
1.

Facts
1.

Stress is always harmful to individuals.

Too little or too much stress is harmful An optimal level of stress (varies from individual to individual is good and necessary.

2. Stress always results from

unpleasant situations or experiences.

2. Stress can be due to both

types of events. One must try to maximize eustress and minimize distress.

Myths and Facts about stress-2

Myths
3. Events in themselves are either stressful or not so. 4. Stress arises only from major events pleasant or unpleasant. 5.Stress is a phenomenon of the western world.

Facts
3. Stress is dependent on individuals cognitive appraisal of events. 4. Even minor irritants or daily hassles can cause .. A cumulative effect is similar in nature to that caused by major traumatic events. 5. Stress is an inevitable part of life-manifested universally.

Myths and Facts about stress-3

Myths
6. All stress leads to diseases.

Facts
6. There are ways to counteract the debilitating effects of stress. 7. It tends to cut across all demographic variables. Issues may be different.

7. Stress does not affect people of young age, high socioeconomic strata,etc

Reasons for more emphasis:

According to a report of PERC, a Hong Kong based

Consultancy, stress in Asia is on the rise and India ranks tenth on the list with a rating of 6.1 on a 10 point rating scale. Byrum Robinson, 1993; Cartwright a& Cooper, 1997 and
Lunde-Jensen,1994

Studies in Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) clearly

demonstrate that the immune system is affected by neural processes that in turn are influenced by mental processes. Kool, 2001

Legal battles and consequent compensation