Development of Stress Model 1 Stress is Stress

Development of Stress Model 1. Stress is…. Stress as a physical response 2. Stress is…. The things in your life 3. Stress is…. The things in your life that make you feel stressed This model focused on physiological responses to stress How it makes you feel (fight or flight) Stress as a stimulus – Life Events Theory. This theory focused on things in your life which could be classified as major or minor stressors in life Transactional Models of stress – This model suggests that an event is only stressful if a person THINKS about it in that way.

1. Stress as a physical response This was the first model of stress and just focused on what happened to you when you are stressed. It did not really ascertain why people were getting stressed, but it was the beginning point for realising that stress can have real implications for people’s health.

Stress makes your heart beat faster It gives you sweaty palms

It can make you feel shaky all over Or all of a quiver

Stress can make your mouth feel as dry as a desert

It causes an ‘Alarm Reaction’ in your body resulting in Fight or Flight

It can disrupt your reproductive system

It can down-regulate your immune system so that you are more susceptible to illness

2. Stress as a stimulus – Life Events Theory. Life events researchers agreed a list of what they determined were major or minor stressors, eg: Big stressors: Divorce, Moving House, getting married, bereavement Small stressors: waiting in queues, automated phone systems, things being late, noises. They told YOU what makes you stressed

3. Transactional Model of stress This model says that an event is only stressful if a person THINKS about it in that way. Does the same situation stress everyone out? Lets see…. Class activity This is the last model of stress, its suggests that things are only stressful if we perceive them to be. We are all affected by things in different ways. The model says you can’t generalise and presume that events act as stressors for everyone.