What are Stressors?        

116400.jpg (4664 bytes) Dr. Hans Selye, Dr. Holmes, and Rahe provided research that linked stress to damage or illness resulting  from environmental conditions or events. Others such as, Richard Lazarus, referenced by Brian Luke Seaward [1]  defined "stress" so encompassing that it included an individual's cognitive  interpretation of  the environmental demands, the individual's coping skills, and  an individual's appraisal of using these skills in its interaction in responding to those environmental demands.

Dr. Seaward defines  stress as a stimulus-response interaction. He compares the stressors to stimuli and  identifies the reaction to the stimulus as a stress response. This operational definition permits us, to identify stressors into categories in order to better understand  that stressful events have only a potential to elicit a fight-or-flight response.

 

Psychological (emotional), Physical, Social, Spiritual (Philosophical)  The following pictures are an example of each.

B11137.jpg (9218 bytes)588000.jpg (4210 bytes)B11098.jpg (7463 bytes)B9150.jpg (8081 bytes)


Classify your previously listed 10 events, into the categories of stressors:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

 

 

Answer the following questions.

 

1.How do you usually cope with the different  categories  of stressors? 

2.Do you cope the same way with different stressors? Why or why not?

3.Do you see any advantages in classifying stressors?

4.Do you see any pitfalls in attempting to classify stressors?   Explain your reasoning.

5.What have you learned that was most important?


1. Brian Luke Seaward, Managing Stress-Principles and Strategies for Health and Wellbeing, 6th. ed., Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2009, pages 6 -10


Email: rbrehm@msn.com  Telephone: Cell 206-930-4197.
Copyright © 1998  [Robert Brehm]. All rights reserved.