GAS Flashcards
General Adaption Syndrome (GAS)
a biological model involving three stages of physiological reactions
that a person experiences in response to a persistent stressor
Alarm reaction
the first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome involving the initial decrease and subsequent increase in bodily arousal in response to an immediate stressor
Shock
first substage of the alarm reaction stage involving decreased bodily arousal for a brief period of time
Counter shock
second substage of the alarm reaction stage in which sympathetic nervous system responses occur that mobilise the body
Resistance
second stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome involving maintaining high levels of bodily arousal i response to a persistent stressor
Exhaustion
third stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome involving the depletion of energy levels and bodily resources, resulting in an inability to cope with the stressor
strengths
- recognises a predictable pattern of physiological responses associated with distinct stages and substages
- recognises the relationship between chronic stress and illness.
- provides objective, empirical information about the biological processes involved in the stress response
limitations
- based on research that was conducted on rats, reducing the generalisability of the model to the human population
- only focuses on the biological aspects of stress
- prescribes a uniform model that is the same for every individual in response to all stressors. Therefore, it fails to recognise the subjective nature of the stress response