This document presents conceptual perspectives of stress from Anjali Rai. It discusses stress as derived from the Latin word "stringere" and how an optimum level is necessary for good performance. Three perspectives are discussed: the stimulus perspective sees environmental stressors as causing a stress reaction; the response perspective looks at how individuals handle stressors through defenses and reactions; and the transactional perspective views stress as a transaction between a person and their environment involving cognitive appraisal and coping responses. Stress is defined as a deviant psycho-physiological state resulting from a situation cognitively appraised as excessively demanding and requiring adaptive efforts to cope with it.