Selye defined stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon it. Holmes and Rahe studied the relationship between life changes and illness, developing a scale to measure major life changes and finding that greater life changes correlated with increased likelihood of illness. Lazarus's theory emphasized that cognitive appraisal determines what is stressful and how it is coped with, and that emotions result from stress responses rather than cause them. Coping can shape and respond to demands to influence future experiences.

1. THEORIES OF STRESS
Prepared by,
Mrs. Rijo Lijo.

2. SELYE’S GENERAL THEORY OF
STRESS
 During 1930‘s and 40‘s Selye performed the first
extensive studies on stress responses. His famous
treatise ―the physiology and pathology of stress‖
describes his general theory of stress and
influenced stress research throughout the world.

3.  Selye defined stress as a physiological
phenomenon. Stress in biology is the non specific
response of the body to any demand made upon it.
It suffices to keep in mind that by stress the
physician means the common results of exposure
to the any stimulus. The bodily changes established
when a person is exposed to nervous tension,
physical injury, infection, cold, heat, x-rays or
anything are also called stress.

4. HOLMES AND RAHE’S MODEL RELATING
LIFE CHANGES TO ILLNESS
 They studied on relationship between change and
illness. Change is a form of stress requiring both
psychological and physical adaptations. Adapting to
change consumes energy beyond that needed to
maintain a steady state of life.

5.  They developed the Social Readjustment Rating
Scale, a ranking of major life change units. They
explored the link between the amount of changes in
a person‘s life and subsequent illness and
discovered that the higher a person‘s life change
score, the greater the likelihood that an illness will
subsequently develop.

6. LASARUS’S THEORY OF STRESS AND
COPING
 This theory emphasizes that cognitive appraisal is
central in determining what is stressful and in
coping with stress. He also pointed out that one of
the major problems in defining stress is that,
emotions have been treated as a cause of stress
response rather than the effect of these responses.
In the process of coping, the individual shapes as
well as responds to a demand or stress. Coping
may change the stressful experience and thus may
influence what happens next.