STRESS: DEFINTIONS AND MEASUREMENT

A. The Different Meanings of Stress
1. Common synonyms: pressure, strain, tension, force
2. Different uses
  a. Stimulus (stressor)
  b. Response: mental and/or physical
  c. Process or interaction
3. Stress (distress) and eustress
4. Related psychological states
  a. Fear and anxiety
  b. Conflict
  c. Frustration
5. Stress symptoms: the ABCS
  a. Emotive (affective)
  b. Behavioral
  c. Cognitive
  d. Physical (somatic)

B. The Physiology of Stress
1. Basic anatomy and physiology
  a. The nervous system
    (1) PNS and CNS
    (2) Somatic and autonomic nervous systems
    (3) ANS: Sympathetic and parasympathetic processes (fight or flight versus rest)
  b. Neurotransmitters
  c. The neuroendocrine system
    (1) Ductless glands and hormones
    (2) The pituitary gland and ACTH
    (3) The adrenal glands (cortex, medulla) and cortisol and catecholamines
2. The physiological components of stress
  a. The HPA complex
    (1) Hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary
    (2) The pituitary releases ACTH
    (3) ACTH triggers adrenal cortex to produce cortisol
  b. The SAM complex
    (1) Activation of the sympathetic division of the ANS
    (2) Stimulates adrenal medulla to produce cathecolamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine)

C. Theories of Stress
1. Selye and the non-specific stress response
  a. Distinguishing stressor from stress (as response)
  b. The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
  c. Strengths and weaknesses of Selye’s view
  d. Brady’s “executive monkey” study
2. Lazarus
  a. Stress as an interaction, with psychology the key
  b. The Lazarus and Folkman definition of stress
  c. Appraisal: primary, secondary and reappraisal
  d. Vulnerability
  e. Coping
3. Social models
  a. Environmental sources of stress
    (1) Crowding
    (2) Pollution
    (3) Noise
  b. School and work
  c. Relationships
  d. Health (as cause and effect)
  e. Resources (time, money, etc.)
  f. Social and cultural conflict
4. Psychodynamic models of stress
  a. Conflict, anxiety, defense and neurosis
  b. Conversion
5. Learning (conditioning) models
6. Systems models
  a. Homeostasis and cybernetics
    (1) Negative feedback loops: regulation
    (2) Positive feedback loops: escalation
  b. Holistic values
  c. Diathesis-stress
  d. Multidimensional integrative (biopsychosocial) theories

D. Measuring Stress
1. Physical measures
  a. Physiological (GSR, BP, etc.) – the polygraph
  b. Biochemical (blood or urine levels of cortisol, epinephrine, etc.)
2. Paper-and-pencil tests
  a. Life events: SSRS
  b. Hassles and uplifts
  c. Perceived stress
3. Behavioral measures
  a. Direct observation
  b. Indirect observation: checklists
4. Reliability and validity

Copyright ©1998 Beverly J. Volicer and Steven F. Tello, UMass Lowell.  You may freely edit these pages  for use in a non-profit, educational setting.  Please include this copyright notice on all pages.