Carnegie’s Prescription for Eliminating Worry: A Book Review Introduction HUMAN STRESS – PSYCHOLOGY 140 Carnegie’s Prescription for Eliminating Worry: A Book Review Introduction How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is a literary creation by Dale Carnegie that was first published in 1944. Carnegie became one of the foremost authorities on self-help issues of the twentieth century. Carnegie was inspired to write due to his own disappointments in his personal and professional life. Ironically, his disappointment served to inspire him to write what is now considered to be one of the most important self- help books of our time. The Culture and Biological Basis for Worry What is stress? Physiological stress represents a wide range of physical responses that occur as a direct result of a stressor causing an interruption in the natural balance of a human body. When such a disruption occurs, either psychological or physical, the equilibrium in the body responds by stimulating the central nervous system, the endocrine system, and the human immune system. The reaction of these systems causes a number of physical changes that have both short and long term effects on the body. Members of the healthcare and Allied Helping Professions have devoted the last three decades to researching the specific short and long term effects of stress and the effects on the human body. This has led to highly specialized stress appraisals and the development of sophisticated coping techniques in all disciplines of the healthcare industry. Recent innovations have focused on the fact that stress impacts everyone in different ways, and that individual differences must be factored into the treatment milieu. Research continues to explore the correlati... ... middle of paper ... ...red as timeless and can be applied universally across individual domains. While Carnegie did not personally create the stress reducing suggestions, his painstaking efforts to gather information and compose this book provided a revolutionary concept that continues to capture the interest and concerns of individuals on a global level. My personal take away after having read this book will be to follow Carnegie’s sage advice to cultivate a positive mental attitude in my coursework and future endeavors. I will not let the small things in life upset me and I will strive to accept constructive criticism as a compliment. I will think and act cheerfully towards my coworkers which in turn will make me cheerful and I will look forward to the journey of self-actualization, remembering to always celebrate what I am, as opposed to dwelling upon what I am not.
I would love to apply the lessons I am learning from the book and the class to every domain that interest me. What feels contradictory to me is that the book shows that to be a successful entrepreneur, one need to think twice and coldly calculate all his/her interaction which is the opposite of what I want to do with my family and the people around me. Going even further, it proves how hard it must to work with friends and/or family
I learned a lot about myself from this book. I realized that I already incorporate a number of the principles that Carnegie preaches. I also picked up some valuable information that I know I will be able to use in the future. I feel that this book is a great learning tool and helps to cover things that students don’t necessarily learn in the classroom. In fact, I have already recommended it to a number of my friends.
The book then talks about how to get people to like you. Humans should be more genuine towards other human beings. People should realize that when making friends it takes more than just having people be interested in you, the person making friends should be interested in the other people as well. The next part talks about how to get people to think the same way as you. One should realize that when confronting an argument it would be best to avoid it but just be nice and show respect and never tell the other person they are wrong. Take their opinion into consideration and if they are wrong take care of the situation in a quick, forceful manner and let the other person do all the talking. The last part of the book talks about how to be a leader with out creating any problems. The book explains that this can be done by appreciating and praising even the slightest improvements or work in another person. Always be honest and when criticizing someone else criticize yourself first and make the fault seem easy to correct by being encouraging and make the other person happy
To a great extent, stress can be a helpful response, especially for prehistoric humans. During this era, our species needed to react quickly to outside stimuli through a response of “fight or flight”. Through stress, certain hormones are released to help the individual resist the stressor, which may have meant running away from a natural predator. Thus, stress is a positive response that ensures the survival of the species. However, stress over a prolonged period of time causes exhaustion in the individual. Consequently, although stress can be helpful for individuals today, many often experience chronic stress, inflicting varying degrees of damage to their bodies.
I’ve never been the type of person to buy into, or even read, many self-help books; however, I really appreciated reading this book. The few previous experiences I’ve had with them seemed very hard to apply to my life. What I think this book did differently was show that although you won’t see results right away, in whatever it is you do, if you do the little things right (or wrong) every day, you will see positive (or negative) results over time. I think one of the most powerful moments of the book was when he mentioned how many people today want to go from planting, directly to harvesting, instead of planting, cultivating, and then harvesting. I see this in my own life as a referee in Junior hockey. I feel as if I am always striving for that level, and sometimes want to be working that next level, even if I am not ready for it. This example of not
There are many interesting quotes and advice given in this book; five statements stood out that I felt are worthwhile.
Everyone everywhere has experienced stress with something they have dealt with in life. Whether it is school, paying bills, managing a busy schedule or work, stress affects everyone. Although everyone experiences stress, many people don’t actually know what stress is. Stress is the physical response of the body to harmful situations that threaten someone’s well being. When someone says “stress”, the word is automatically associated with a negative effect on people but small doses of stress can benefit a person, if used to correctly. Everyone’s stress level is different and the amount of stress that can be handled varies from person to person but a stress overload will not benefit anyone. “When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in your body to allow you to act in a way to prevent injury” (“Stress Management Health Center”). The chemical that is released when stressed is known as cortisol, also known a stress hormone. “Cortisol is like a long-term form of adrenaline, produced in the adrenal gland when the body is under pressure” (“The Effects of Stress on Your Reproductive Health and Fertility”). Adrenaline is also released to send the body into, what is known as, emergency action (“Stress Symptoms, Signs and Causes”). This emergency action speeds up reactions preformed by the body and the mind. This is a way of protecting the body. While in emergency action, this stress caused by threatening situations can save your life. In emergency situations, you are given “extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on your brakes to avoid a car accident” (“Stress Management Health Center”). Signs of being in this emergency action are a racing heart, blood pressure rises, quickening of breath and tigh...
The stress not only causes physiological, but also psychological problems. How does our body react when the stress comes? That will be “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal”, which is called ATP , the system regulate the stress. When facing stressors, our mouth becomes dry, as it is conserving fluids because our HPA axis sensing danger. It’s used to escape predators or fighting with beasts. But this system isn’t designed for today’s diverse stressors because in modern world, most people need to worry about mortgages, relationships and promotions more than the fight for food. If we continur to let our body work under these stressful conditions, it will break down the strain. This process is called ”allostatic load”. HPA axis also produce serious and long-lasting negative effects, like physical and psychological in our
The purpose of this paper is to define stress and how it effects the body's physiological systems. This paper will include the normal functions and organs involved in the following five physiological systems, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, immune and musculoskeletal. This paper will also include a description of a chronic illness associated with each physiological system and how the illness is affected by stress.
After I read this book, I got important morals, "The power of positive thinking" Brian was devastated after an accident, but he tries to think in a positive way. the positive idea is just the motive power to survive. Finally, he survives. I noticed thinking in a positive way is important. Also, I will do my best of my life, and I will never give
look for flaws in people and situations, just as Lindo does for her daughter. Yet, I do it to sabotage my own happiness, as though I feel subconsciously as if I do not deserve to be happy. I would see flaws in people that I liked, or in my own work, thinking that I could do better each time with everything that came my way. I think that, because of this scrutiny that I put myself through, it has helped me to become a better student. I am able to see little details that require changing, that need to be improved. Also, I have recently come to realize that I deserve to be happy, that I am a good person, that I deserve what everyone else seems to have: pride in themselves and in others. I am gradually learning to accept others for what they are and have stopped looking for flaws in people. I now let them be what they are. I have accepted myself, and now am able to accept them. This book has helped me to see what qualities I have inside of myself and how pointless it really is to be so scrutinizing of myself and of others.
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.
This research paper concerns how individuals perceive stress and the serious effect on their psychological thought process and physical and mental health and how they can cope with their anxiety driven thoughts. Research was gathered using printed material obtained at the Syracuse Bird Library, and also using various online sources and scholarly journals. One printed source written by Frank Campbell addresses the health effects stress can have on an individual while author Richard Lazarus explores coping mechanisms individuals can use to attempt to get rid of the their stress. Author Bruce G. Charlton in his publication in the Journal of Medical Ethics, claims that stress is an empty word, with little value and explains the origin of the Stress. Robert Lazarus explains the concept of stress along with the ambiguity associated with the word. Ruth O’Hara explains what situations causes stress. While authors Carolyn Aldwin and Sandi Mann discuss coping and how to alleviate stress.
Stress is defined as “any circumstance that threatens or is perceived to threaten one’s well-being and thereby tax one’s coping abilities” (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 72). Stress is a natural event that exists literally in all areas of one’s life. It can be embedded in the environment, culture, or perception of an event or idea. Stress is a constant burden, and can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. However, stress can also provide beneficial effects; it can satisfy one’s need for stimulation and challenge, promote personal growth, and can provide an individual with the tools to cope with, and be less affected by tomorrow’s stress (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 93).
I have learned a lot about myself in this class, and through writing this paper. I have come to the bluntly honest truth about myself that is sometimes hard for me to succumb to. I think now being consciously aware of how I am and why I am the way I am will help me to continue to strive for better and continue to learn about