ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Psychology => Topic started by: Boots on May 28, 2010, 01:39:39 pm

Title: Stress
Post by: Boots on May 28, 2010, 01:39:39 pm
Can someone give an example of a stressor, sress and effects of stress?
Title: Re: Stress
Post by: Boots on May 28, 2010, 04:38:07 pm
Also would it be incorrect to say that the sympathetic n.s is activated in the shock stage?
Title: Re: Stress
Post by: akira88 on May 28, 2010, 04:46:14 pm
Quote from: Boots on May 28, 2010, 01:39:39 pm
Can someone give an example of a stressor, sress and effects of stress?
Stressor: Upcoming exams
Stress: Worrying about the exams
Effects of stress: Cbf going on it about here, but the 3 stages of GAS
Quote from: Boots on May 28, 2010, 04:38:07 pm
Also would it be incorrect to say that the sympathetic n.s is activated in the shock stage?

That is incorrect. The body responds to the stressor as if it were injured during the shock stage, but during countershock is when the sympathetic nervous system is activated.
Title: Re: Stress
Post by: Boots on May 28, 2010, 05:29:17 pm
But how come in the graph it has a minimum in the shock section, i.e it turns at the phase 'shock'
Title: Re: Stress
Post by: Spreadbury on May 28, 2010, 05:48:46 pm
General adaptation syndrome:

alarm: first the body enters a state of shock when we are first confronted with the stressor, the body reacts as if it were injured (as akira said) and then will rebound into a state of countershock. during countershock the sympathetic nervous system is activated (as akira said again) and resistance to the stressor increases as hormones will be released such as adrenalin to help confront the stressor. this resistance continues to rise into the resistance stage.

during the shock stage our resistance to the stressor is at it's weakest (if you exclude the exhaustion stage)

stress tends to have two main areas of effect: physiological and psychological

physiological: aches and pains, dizziness, fatigue etc...

psychological: depend on the personal interpretation of the stressor and ability to cope with the resulting stress reactions. 3 main categories:
     behavioural: how a person looks, acts or talks, they may become more aggressive than usual
     emotional: how a person feels which may impact their personality; anxiety, depression etc...
     cognitive: a person's mental abilities such as problem solving; they may become indecisive, have trouble with remembering things or problem solving etc