Psychology and Stress
One of things that we all experience is stress. Stress does not judge, it affects the rich, the poor, whites, blacks, male or female, children and adults. Some people may have higher stress levels depending on their livestyles.
Stress is the “wear and tear” our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feeling. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action that may result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach rashes, insomnia, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke or depression. “Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide” World Health Organization. Depression is also the leading cause of suicides, “The second leading cause of death among college students is suicide” Hardy. Many times, however, stress can become chronic and may last for a week or more. This chronic condition often results from humans’ ability to project their thoughts into the future, such as when a person keeps a recurrent and stressful thought in his or her mind. Stress may be considered as any physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and that may be a factor in disease causation. Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress can include trauma, infections, toxins, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are numerous and varied. While many people associate the term “stress” with psychological stress, scientists and physicians use this term to denote any force that impairs the stability and balance of bodily functions. Stress is the combination of psychological and behavioral reactions that people have in response to events that threaten or challenge them. Stress can be good or
Stress is the “wear and tear” our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feeling. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action that may result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach rashes, insomnia, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke or depression. “Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide” World Health Organization. Depression is also the leading cause of suicides, “The second leading cause of death among college students is suicide” Hardy. Many times, however, stress can become chronic and may last for a week or more. This chronic condition often results from humans’ ability to project their thoughts into the future, such as when a person keeps a recurrent and stressful thought in his or her mind. Stress may be considered as any physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and that may be a factor in disease causation. Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress can include trauma, infections, toxins, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are numerous and varied. While many people associate the term “stress” with psychological stress, scientists and physicians use this term to denote any force that impairs the stability and balance of bodily functions. Stress is the combination of psychological and behavioral reactions that people have in response to events that threaten or challenge them. Stress can be good or
Cited: "Facts on Stress." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2007. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901430.html>. Hardy, Marcelina. "Statistics on College Student Stress." LoveToKnow. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. <http://stress.lovetoknow.com/Statistics_on_College_Student_Stress>. Kompier, M. (1994). Stress at work: Does it concern you? Shankill, Ireland: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living & Working Conditions. Robbins, S. (1996). Organizational behavior: concepts. Controversies, applications. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc. Smither, R.D. (1994). The psychology of work and human performance. New York: Harper & Row. Fleishman, E.A. (1997). Stress and performance effectiveness. Hillsdale, N.J.:L. Erlbaum Associates. Manson, L. (200). Facts about stress [on-line]. Available: http://stress.about.com/cs/copingskills/a/stress101a.htm http://www.statisticbrain.com/stress-statistics/ http://stress.lovetoknow.com/Statistics_on_College_Student_Stress