PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Hans Selye, Social Group, Progressive Muscle Relaxation

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jordan Poppenk

Document Summary

Explain the physiological basis of the stress response. Hans selye described the general adaption syndrome (gas) which is a useful framework for understanding an animal"s physiological response to stressors. Alarm: when an organism is first encountered with a stressor, the response will center around the ans. The organism"s resistance to the stressor temporarily drops below normal, and the organism may experience shock-impairment of normal physiological functioning. Resistance or adaptation: as the organism adapts to continued exposure, it enters the stage of resistance. It"s ans returns to normal functioning, and resistance to the stressor increases to above normal levels. Exhaustion: if exposure to the stressor continues for a long enough time, the organisms loses its ability to adapt. During this exhaustion phase, resistance falls dramatically, leaving the organism susceptible to illness and even death. Explain how individual differences in cognitive appraisal affect our responses to a stressor.