PSYC 3170 Lecture Notes - Coronary Artery Disease, Habituation, Cardiovascular Disease
Document Summary
Stress negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioural changes that are directed either toward altering stressful event or accommodating to its effects. Stressor stressful events themselves, such as noise, crowds, bad relationship, a round of job interviews or commuting to work. May be stressful to some people but not to others so how it is perceived determines whether it will be experienced as stressful. Stress is a consequence of a persons appraisal process: the assessment of whether personal resources are sufficient to meet the demands of the environment = person environment fit. When a person"s resources are more than adequate to deal with a situation, he or she may feel little stressed and experience a sense of challenge. Sufficient resources at the cost of great effort = moderate stress. Therefore, stress results from the process of appraising events (harmful, threatening or challenging).
