Hans selyes GAS model
Psychology- Selye’s work with rats
In 1936 Hans Selye was working in a hospital. He noticed that all hospital patients shared a common set of symptoms even though they all had different illnesses. He conducted hormone experiments on rats and noticed a generalised response. No matter what the rats where injected with they all produced a similar response. He suggested there was one internal mechanism for dealing with ‘noxious agents’ which he called ‘stressors’.
Procedures
Rats were exposed to various noxious agents such as cold, surgical injury, production of spinal shock, excessive exercise or injecting them with sublethal doses of drugs (adrenaline, morphine, formaldehyde)
Findings and conclusions
A typical syndrome was observed, the symptoms of which were independent of the nature of the damaging agent or the type of drug used. The syndrome developed in three stages.
1) During the Physical stage (first 6-48 hours) all stimuli produced the same physiological triad.
- Enlargement of the adrenal glands.
- Ulcers In the digestive system.
- Shrinking of the immune system.
2) If the treatment was continued, the appearance and function of the internal organs returned practically to normal.
3) With continued treatment, after one to three months (depending on the severity of the damaging agent) the animals lost their resistance and displayed the symptoms of the physiological triad seen in the first stage.
Selye suggested that the responses observed in rats to noxious agents might be similar to general defence reactions to illness.
Psychology- Selyes Gas Model
Selye’s research leads him to conclude that when animals are exposed to unpleasant stimuli, they display a universal response to all stressors. He called this General Adaptation Syndrome.
-It is ‘General’ because it is the same response to all agents.
- ‘Adaptation’ is used because it is adaptive, the healthiest way for the body to cope with extreme stress.
In 1936 Hans Selye was working in a hospital. He noticed that all hospital patients shared a common set of symptoms even though they all had different illnesses. He conducted hormone experiments on rats and noticed a generalised response. No matter what the rats where injected with they all produced a similar response. He suggested there was one internal mechanism for dealing with ‘noxious agents’ which he called ‘stressors’.
Procedures
Rats were exposed to various noxious agents such as cold, surgical injury, production of spinal shock, excessive exercise or injecting them with sublethal doses of drugs (adrenaline, morphine, formaldehyde)
Findings and conclusions
A typical syndrome was observed, the symptoms of which were independent of the nature of the damaging agent or the type of drug used. The syndrome developed in three stages.
1) During the Physical stage (first 6-48 hours) all stimuli produced the same physiological triad.
- Enlargement of the adrenal glands.
- Ulcers In the digestive system.
- Shrinking of the immune system.
2) If the treatment was continued, the appearance and function of the internal organs returned practically to normal.
3) With continued treatment, after one to three months (depending on the severity of the damaging agent) the animals lost their resistance and displayed the symptoms of the physiological triad seen in the first stage.
Selye suggested that the responses observed in rats to noxious agents might be similar to general defence reactions to illness.
Psychology- Selyes Gas Model
Selye’s research leads him to conclude that when animals are exposed to unpleasant stimuli, they display a universal response to all stressors. He called this General Adaptation Syndrome.
-It is ‘General’ because it is the same response to all agents.
- ‘Adaptation’ is used because it is adaptive, the healthiest way for the body to cope with extreme stress.