PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Hans Selye, Adrenal Gland, Autonomic Nervous System

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Penelope Kostopoulos

Document Summary

Stress: the tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a situation, called a stressor (stimulus) strains our ability to cope effectively. This eld"s thinking about stress has evolved over the years. Before the 1940s, scientists rarely used the term stress outside of engineering profession, where it referred to stresses on material and building structure. It wasn"t until 1944 that the term stress found its way into psychological literature. This engineering analogy highlights the notion that if the body were like a machine and machines are subject to wear and tear then so too would be the body. People differ widely in their personal resources, the signi cance they attach to stressful events, and the ability to grapple with them. Similarly, situations are only stressful when we believe we lack the necessary resources to cope with a given situation. Stressors as stimuli: focuses on what stressors and who is out susceptible.