It is a fact that men and women differ in many ways. Various researchers have pondered, and tried
to determine the differences that may exist in coping styles and levels of stress in men and women.
Despite the many studies that have been done on the relationship between stress and health, the
nature of this has not yet been clearly established (Matud, 2004). Coping has been defined as the
constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal
demands that have been evaluated as taking up, or exceeding the resources of the person (Lazarus
and Folkman, n.d. as cited in Matud, 2004).
The term stress has been defined in various ways as many factors contribute to the incline of a
persons stress levels,eg: environment (stimuli) and life events. These are referred to as stressors.
When an individual's ability to adapt is challenged it causes physiological responses, such as
increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and the presence of hormones and neurotransmitters
(Selye, 1993). These reactions heighten the arousal of an organism to effectively deal with stress,
Selye et al., 1993. Suldo, Shaunessy and Hardesty (2008) discovered it is possible to adapt to
normal levels of stress; as this heightened arousal prepares an organism to effectively deal with
stress. When these levels exceed the normal levels often and/or for extended periods of time, health
and mood deteriorate, leading to positive rather than negative coping strategies.
Researchers, in particular Matud (2004) have conducted studies to discover which
gender is more susceptible to stress, the environmental and life events that contribute to increased
stres...
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... Matud (2004), who explored gender
differences in some stress process variables in a broad range of the general population. The aim of
the research conducted was to address the differences in stress between men and women, and their
differences in coping styles and emotional control Matud et al. In comparison to examining
subjects with similar life history and social roles, observing representatives of all the
sociodermographic groups could yield varied results. However, once these results are determined a
more accurate result can be achieved. It could be assumed that positive coping methods offered by
professionals, could be more effective if it is known how men and women cope with stress.
Although these coping strategies may vary in relation to men and women, the outcomes could be
more effective than a "one for all" solution.
It’s not a big surprise that stress is a factor in heath, the phrase “stress will kill you” is used often enough that people get the concept quite well. However most ignore the common warning signs of high level stresses leading to endless health issues, breaking down the quality of life. In the movie “Stress of a Portrait killer”, focuses on living and work environments capable of increasing stress levels effecting health. The study by a researcher in Holland linked stress induction during fetal life from people born during the Dutch Holland Winter of 1944. Her study results concluded, during pregnancy when the mothers were exposed to high levels of stress, the fetus was negatively affected in levels that lasted throughout their lives. The
Therefore, prolonged stress included adverse psychological and physical health effects as well as the increased risk of premature death (Denollet, J., et al.
In this increasingly globalised world, there are many factor that affected people mentally. It is a common thing for every human being to confront with psychological suffers. Each individual has different level of sensitivity. Most of the time women are considered as a sensitive and emotional gender. Women are proven to be more mentally stressed than men. They have a special hormone that could affect the emotion and the way of women thinking is differed from men. Body image issue in society also forces women to suffer from stress.
Stress means different things to different people and stress effects people in different ways. Some people think stress is something that happens to them such as an injury or a promotion and others think that stress is what happens to our mind, body and behaviors in response to an event. While stress does involve events and how one responds to them these are not the critical factors, but our thoughts about the situation in which we are involved are the critical factors. Essentially, stress exists whenever homeostasis is disturbed or cannot be maintained (Stress and the Social System Course Guide, 2013). Homeostasis refers to the body's ability to keep the internal chemical and physical environments constant. As your body begins to react to stress several changes occur. These changes include increased heart rate, blood pressure and secretion of stimulatory hormones. Ones body prepares itself in stressful situations to either stand ground and fight or to flee from the situation. Walter Cannon called this stressful reaction the fight-or-flight response (Greenberg, 2012).
In the alarm stage, the body encounters a stressor. The stressor will cause the body to react with the fight or flight response.Next, the nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis will be activated. The body system will then release ‘stress’ hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and noradrenaline. Blood pressure and heart rate will begin to increase.
Psychological and physical well-being and the overall quality of life are under a constant threat of stress and thus, psychological and medical sciences have long been concerned with studying stress response. Cox (1979) claimed that because of the poor understanding and defining it, the concept of stress tends to be rather elusive. The term, “stress”, commonly describes any physchological or physical alteration that deranges the organism’s homeostasis (or balance). This essay reviews some of the biological factors involved in stress and it has been organized in the following way. The paper begins by briefly introducing the concept of stress. It will then go on to discus and describe the automatic response (fight or flight reaction), hormonal changes and the effects of cortisol on heart rate, breathing, blood flow and immune system changes. Furthermore, I will discuss the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response system and finally, briefly highlighting the stress-induced effects on the hippocampus.
Each bodily physiological system has an individual established set point, or level of balance; however, some fluctuations in these levels are tolerated. The balance of any system can be, and regularly is disturbed by internal and/or external events of the mechanical, physical, chemical, biological, and/or social types. When this balance is disrupted, and involuntary mobilizations of biological processes are not able to re-establish it, an alarm reaction is activated (Schedlowski and Tewes, 1999). This reaction is referred to as a stress response, and the activating agent is the stressor (Selye, 1936).
Stress is an unspecific emotion that it occurs in external tests such as physiological and severe environmental physics. It has been a...
The term ‘stress’ was generally thought to have been a concept created by Robert Hooke in the 17th century. He worked on the design of physical structures, such as bridges; his concept of stress came from how much pressure a structure could withstand. However, Lazarus (1993) pointed out that the term ‘stress’ has been used as far back as the 14th century, when it meant hardship or adversity. Back then it referred to the external stressor, such as the death of a spouse or financial worry; in the 20th century, there are many different schools of thought on this area. Hans Selye (1956), brought together the work of Cannon and Bernard and devised a comprehensive system of physiological stress; which he termed the ‘General Adaptation Syndrome’, and is a 3-stage process. He theorised that a certain level of stress called ‘eustress’ (Cox, 1978) could actually be beneficial to our overall performance. Later In 1976, Cox & Mackay devised another model called the ‘Transactional model’. This model takes into account the individual differences in the perception of the amount of stress experienced by the person. The main difference between these two models is that Selye’s model only accounts for the physiological side of stress, whereas Cox’s model takes into account both the physiological and psychological aspects of stress. Therefore, both models will have slight similarities and differences in their explanation for how stress occurs in individuals, which is the main focus of this essay.
( no updated date) to the current date. Penn State University Division of Sport Psychology. 29 May 2002 < http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/m/sms18/kines321/stress.html>.
In turn, these expectations lead to men and women handling stress and negative situations differently, and the development of mental illness typically stems from there, with some genders being more prone to certain disorders than the other (“Gender and women’s health”). For example, common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are predominated by women, and are possibly brought on by socioeconomic disadvantage, income inequality, or a subordinate social rank. In comparison, males are more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence and antisocial personality disorder, possibly due to pressure of being the prime provider for the family, or the expectation of internalizing any negative thoughts or emotions. However, not only are gender roles detrimental to mental health, they also have a negative effect on its diagnosis and treatment of men and women, further promoting the inequities. Gender bias has shown to be a strong factor in the treatment of psychological illnesses, and can often result in misdiagnoses. For example, according to the World Health Organization, even if both patients present identical symptoms, doctors are more likely to diagnose depression in a woman than a man (“Gender disparities in
During this response certain hormones are released, which speed the heart rate, slow digestion, and reroute blood flow, in order to elicit the desired response of fight or flight. The behavioral response to stress involves coping. “Coping refers to active efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the demands created by stress” (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, pp.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Everly, G.S., Lating J.M. (2002). A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response. 233 Spring Street New York: Plenum Publishers
First, stress is defined as an unpleasant state of emotional and physiological arousal that people experience in situations that they perceive as dangerous or threatening to their well being (Patel, 14). Stress is a universal feeling to everyone but the word stress means different things to different people. Some people define stress as events or situations that cause them to feel tension, pressure or negative emotions such as anxiety or anger (Patel, 15). Other people may view stress as a process involving a person’s interpretation and response to a threatening event. In any case, stress has many facets of how one perceives and responds to the certain predicament that is ailing them.
We have posed Research Questions that fall in line with what we intend to study. They are differences in stress between genders, stress levels and academic performance, life satisfaction between genders and finally, stress levels against life satisfaction.