Hans Selye

Question 1

‘Stress is experienced as…?’ according to Hans Selye

Answer 1

General Adaptation syndrome

Question 2

What are the 3 Stages to GAS?

Answer 2

Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion

Question 3

Elaboration of the 3 stages of GAS

Answer 3

1. Alarm – stressor and start of response (acute)
   Hypothalamic pituitary system secretes a surge of ACTH  in turn releases corticosteroids from adrenal cortex  sympathetic ANS activation leads to increased adrenaline and noradrenaline being secreted from the adrenal medulla  preparing body for fight or flight
2. Resistance – Pituitary adrenal system (cortisol)
   Stress response = fully activated and apparently coping with stressor  from outside looks to be coping.
3. Body tries to adapt to stressor
4. Hormonal changes to cope with stress
5. Conservation of resources
6. Effects on activity level, feeding etc.
7. Not necessarily harmful
8. Exhaustion – Stress related illness may develop
   However, chronic stress = stage 3. Selye thought hormone reserves became depleted and it is at this point that stress-related conditions e.g. raised blood pressures, ulcers, depression and anxiety may develop.
   >Total depletion of coping resources
   > Metabolic changes
   >Decline in immune functioning
   >Increased susceptibility to infection
   >This is the stage when stress related illness may develop
   >Blood pressures, ulcers, anxiety etc.

Question 4

What year did Hans Selye conduct his rats study into effects of stress on the Body?

Answer 4

1936

Question 5

Describe Hans Selye’s 1936 study into the effects of stress on the body

Answer 5

• Rats exposed to a variety of severe but non-lethal stressors such as exercise, injury, mutilation and poisoning.
• A long term response to stress was observed that was independent of stressor type:
Inflamed Adrenal glands
Stomach Ulcers
Both found in experimented rats

Question 6

Evaluate Selye’s work

Answer 6

•  Selye’s work = extremely influential in developing the whole area of research into stress
- He emphasises the role of the PAS axis and SAM pathway and the links between chronic stress and illness
•  He took a response-based approach to stress which ignores individual differences and the cognitive elements of perception and appraisal
•  Problems generalising:
- Rat and human physiology have similarities and differences
- Human stress is medicated by psychological factors
•  Ethical objections to use of animals:
- Deliberate infliction of pain and stress
- Could alternative methods have been used?