Stress and Psychological theories of stress

1. Stress And Its Theories

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3. Ibad Ahmad (195-FSSBSSOCF12)
International Islamic University Islamabad
Stress And Its Theories
Stress And Theories of Stress

4. Hans Selye And Anais Nin and Stress
The term “stress”, as it is currently
used, was coined by Hans Selye in
1936, who defined it as “the non-
specific response of the body to any
demand for change”.
Stress And Its Theories

5. What is Stress?
Best possible definitions for Stress.
• Stress is the body's reaction to a
change that requires a physical,
mental or emotional adjustment or
response.
• Stress is your body's way of
responding to any kind of demand.
It can be caused by both good and
bad experiences.
• The adverse reaction people have
to excessive pressures or other
types of demand placed on them at
work.
Stress And Its Theories

6. What are the Causes Of Stress?
Many different things can cause stress -- from physical
(such as fear of something dangerous) to emotional (such
as worry over your family or job.)
• Survival Stress - You may have heard the phrase "fight or
flight" before. When you are afraid that someone or
something may physically hurt you, your body naturally
responds with a burst of energy so that you will be better
able to survive the dangerous situation (fight) or escape it
all together (flight). This is survival stress.
• Internal Stress - Have you ever caught yourself worrying
about things you can do nothing about or worrying for no
reason at all? Internal stress is when people make
themselves stressed. This often happens when we worry
about things we can't control or put ourselves in situations
we know will cause us stress.
• Environmental Stress - This is a response to things around
you that cause stress, such as noise, crowding, and pressure
from work or family. Identifying these environmental
stresses and learning to avoid them or deal with them will
help lower your stress level.
• Fatigue and Overwork - This kind of stress builds up over a
long time and can take a hard cost on your body. It can be
caused by working too much or too hard at your job(s),
school, or home.
Stress And Its Theories

7. What are the effects of Stress?
Stress effects people in different ways some of which
are as follows:
• their background and culture.
• their skills and experience.
• their personality.
• their personal circumstances.
• their individual characteristics.
• their health status.
• their ethnicity, gender and age.
• other demands both in and outside work.
Stress And Its Theories

8. Theories of Stress
Following are the Theories of Stress:
• James-Lange: Theory of Emotion
• Cannon-Bard: The Emergency Theory
• Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Emotion
Stress And Its Theories

9. James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Event ==> arousal ==> interpretation ==> emotion
The bodily sensation prepares us for action, as in the
Fight-or-Flight reaction. Emotions grab our attention
and at least attenuate slower cognitive processing.
This is not a new theory and was proposed in 1884.
It combined the ideas of William James and Danish
physiologist Carl Lange, who largely independently
arrived at the same conclusion. William James
described it thus:
According to this theory, witnessing an external
stimulus leads to a physiological reaction. Your
emotional reaction depends upon how you interpret
those physical reactions. For example, suppose you
are walking in the woods and you see a grizzly bear.
You begin to tremble and your heart begins to race.
The James-Lange theory proposes that you will
interpret your physical reactions and conclude that
you are frightened ("I am trembling, therefore I am
afraid.")
Stress And Its Theories

10. Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion is a
physiological explanation of emotion
developed by Walter Cannon and Philip Bard.
Cannon-Bard theory states that we feel
emotions and experience physiological
reactions such as sweating, trembling and
muscle tension simultaneously. More
specifically, it is suggested that emotions
result when the thalamus sends a message to
the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting
in a physiological reaction.
Event ==> Simultaneous arousal and emotion
According to the Cannon-Bard theory of
emotion, we react to a stimulus and
experience the associated emotion at the same
time.
Example:
I see a bear. I feel afraid. I tense in readiness
to run away.
Stress And Its Theories

11. Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Emotion
In the absence of physiological arousal, we decide what
to feel after interpreting or explaining what has just
happened. Two things are important in this: whether we
interpret the event as good or bad for us, and what we
believe is the cause of the event.
Event ==> thinking ==> Simultaneous arousal and
emotion
In primary appraisal, we consider how the situation
affects our personal well-being. In secondary appraisal
we consider how we might cope with the situation.
This is sometimes also called Lazarus Theory or
Appraisal Theory.
Example:
When a colleague gets promoted, I might feel resentful
if I think I deserve the promotion more than they do.
Stress And Its Theories

12. Thanks for your Attention
Any Question!
Stress And Its Theories