Text underneath the title reads, when faced with an emergency, our bodies go through a series of physiological responses that assist us in coping with a stressor. Activation of the fight-or-flight response and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal, HPA system gives us the energy and resources we need to cope with a temporary stressor. Studying these physiological responses, Hans Selye, 1956 found that the sequence follows the same path no matter the stressor. Selye called this sequence the general adaptation syndrome, GAS. He found that when the stressor remains, our bodies can no longer adapt. Another text titled General Adaptation Syndrome, GAS reads, In the alarm stage, the short-term responses are activated, giving us the energy to combat a threat. In the resistance stage, resources remain mobilized, and we continue to cope with the stressor. But eventually, we enter the exhaustion stage, becoming weak and susceptible to illness, and less able to cope with the stressor. Citation, Selye, 1956.
An illustration below Shows a series of three pictures fit into a graph. The vertical axis is marked Resistance to stress reading low to high. The first picture is a mask marked stressor with text reading Alarm stage, stress response activated. The second picture shows a fireman at work with a callout reading, normal level of resistance to stress. Resistance stage, coping with stressor. The third picture shows an exhausted fireman, and the text reads, Exhaustion stage, reserves diminished.
The first two stages lead to a flowchart below showing the short-term responses to stress. The brain and the kidneys of the fireman are highlighted. A callout pointing to the head reads, Amygdala processes information about stressor. If threat is perceived, hypothalamus triggers short-term stress response. Two flowcharts originate from the head labeled, Fight or flight system and Hypothalamic-pituitary-Adrenal, HPA system.
The exhaustion stage shows a bar graph labeled Prolonged stress, with duration of the stressor, in months on the horizontal axis and relative risk of a cold on the vertical axis. The data plotted are; No stressor, 1. Less than 1, 1.6. Between 1 and 6, 2.1. Between 6 and 24, 2.7. More than 24, 3.9. The associated text reads, Prolonged stress can cause the immune system to break down. As you can see, the risk of becoming sick is directly related to the duration of a stressor. This effect is seen even when the stressor is not traumatic. Data in this study were collected from people reporting on interpersonal conflicts and problems concerning work. Citation, Cohen et al., 1998.