STRESS

General Adaptation Syndrome

(Hans Selye’s Model) Presented by:
Mrs. Shweta Surwase
F.Y. [Link]. Psychiatric Nursing
 OBJECTIVES
◦ TO INTRODUCE STRESS.
◦ TO DEFINE STRESS.
◦ TO ENUMARATE TYPES OF STRESS.
◦ TO IDENTIFY STRESSORS AND CATEGORIZE IT.
◦ TO KNOW ADAPTATION &MALADAPTATION.
◦ TO KNOW HOMEOSTASIS.
◦ TO INTODUCE HANS SYLES GENERAL ADAPTATION MODEL.
◦ TO KNOW THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME.
◦ TO KNOW THE PHISIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN ALARM & RESISTANCE STAGE.
◦ TO EVALUATE GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME.
◦ TO CONCLUDE THE TOPIC.
INTRODUCTION
◦ The word stress was originally used by Selye in 1956 to describe the pressure
experienced by a person in response to life demands. These demands are referred to as
stressors. Stress can be positive or negative.
◦ Stress is the body’s automatic response to any physical or mental demand placed on it.
◦ Stress is the human reaction to events in our environment.
◦ Stress can be any force that impairs the stability and balance of bodily functions.
◦ Stress is wear and tear on the body
◦ Adrenaline produced in our body as a response to stress.
◦ Fight or Flight response is elicited.
DEFINITION
◦ According to Selye (1956), ―Stress is defined as the pressure experienced by
a person in response to life demands. These demands are referred to as
stressors and include a range of life events, physical factors (e.g.: cold, hunger,
hemorrhage, pain), environmental conditions and personal thoughts.
◦  According to Selye (1976) Stress is a process of adjusting to or dealing with
circumstances that disrupt or threaten to disrupt a person’s physical or
psychological functioning.
◦ Stress is tension, strain, or pressure from a situation that requires us to use,
adapt, or develop new coping skills.
DEFINITION
◦ “Stress is considered to the process of adjusting to circumstances that disrupt, or threaten
to disrupt, a person’s equilibrium.”
- (Lazavus and Forlmen, 1984)
◦ Stress is also the appraisal, or perception, of a stressor.
“Appraisal is how people interpret the impact of the stressor on themselves, of what is
happening and what they can do about it.”
- (Lazarus 1999)
◦ “Stress is a general term that links environmental demands and the person’s capacity to
meet those demands.”
-(Kasl 1992) 
STRESS & STRESSOR
◦ Stress : A person’s response to
events that are threatening or
challenging.
◦ Stressor : A stimulus that
causes stress
TYPES OF STRESS
Eustress: Positive Stress
It is the positive cognitive
response to stress that is healthy,
or gives positive feelings
◦ Motivates
◦ Excites
◦ Energizes
◦ E.g. Getting into college,
Getting engaged, Winning the
lottery.
Distress: Negative Stress
It is an aversive state in which a
person is unable to adapt
completely to stressors and shows
maladaptive behaviours
◦ Crushes
◦ Oppresses
◦ Unusual events carried beyond
rational limits
E.g. Difficult work environment, Threat
of personal injury, Diseases.
◦ GENERAL STRESS:
◦ EVERONE HAS THIS KIND OF STRESS
◦ IT RESOLVES ITSELF
CATEGORIZING STRESSORS
There are three general types of stressors:
 Cataclysmic events: Strong stressors that occur suddenly and typically affect many people at
once (e.g., natural disasters).
 Personal stressors: Major life events, such as the death of a family member, that have
immediate negative consequences that generally fade with time.
 Background stressors: Everyday annoyances, such as being stuck in traffic, that cause minor
irritations and may have long-term ill effects if they continue or are compounded by other
stressful events.
Common Stressors

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◦ ADAPTATION
When person is in a threatening situation immediate response occur
.Those response are often involuntary ,are called coping response. The
change that take places as a result of the responses to a stressor is
adaptation .
a . Adaptive behavior is behavior that enables a person (usually used in
the context of children) to get along in their environment with greatest
success and least conflict with others.
b. Maladaptive behaviors are those that stop you from adapting to new
or difficult circumstances
HOMEOSTASIS

It is a state of physiological calmness or balance, and occurs when

our bodily functions are running smoothly in conjunction with low
stress levels.  When exposed to stressors, this causes an imbalance to
occur as the body responds to the perceived threat, and then tries to
return to normal functioning.
 Hans Selye was a Hungarian
endocrinologist who worked in Canada
for most of his life.

 He conducted pioneering experiments

on stress during the 1950s and ’60s.

 He discovered the General Adaptation

Syndrome by accident, while injecting
mice for hormone research. He
invented the term “stress” during the
1930s.

 Turns out both good and bad stressors

result in the GAS.
The Stress Response

◦ The fight-or-flight response (also called the stress response) is a

physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived threat or danger. 
◦ This enables the body to take action quickly, and is intended to keep us out of
(physical) harm’s way. 
◦ Unfortunately for our health, this response also occurs when we are not in any
immediate physical danger, but are still experiencing stress. 
◦ For example, this can happen when someone is running late for an
appointment or class, and is feeling stressed about trying to get there.
Hans Selye’s theory
◦ In the 1930s, 1940s,and 1950s Hans
Selye enlarged on cannon’s fight – or
– flight hypothesis to describe the
general adaptation syndrome ( GAS),
a three – stage reaction to stress.
◦ The GAS describes how the body
responds to stressors through the
following stages
 General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
◦ The general adaptation syndrome (GAS), developed by Hans Selye, describes the pattern of
responses that the body goes through after being prompted by a stressor.
◦ The GAS is an immediate physiological response of the body to stress and involves several
body systems, especially the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system. When a
physical demand is made on the body, such as an injury, the GAS is initiated by the pituitary
gland. The pituitary gland is closely linked to the hypothalamus.
◦ That secretes endorphins.
◦ Endorphins are hormones that act on the mind like morphine and opiates, producing a sense
of well – being and reducing pain.
 STAGES
• Alarm – This occurs when we first perceive something as stressful, and then
the body initiates the fight-or-flight response (as discussed earlier).
• Resistance – If the perceived stress continues, the body stays activated at a
higher metabolic level in an effort to offset the persistent stress.  The body
cannot maintain this level indefinitely, and its resources will eventually deplete.
• Exhaustion – Prolonged exposure to the stressor will result in the depletion of
the body’s resources, and the resulting wear and tear will suppress the immune
system and cause bodily functions to deteriorate. 
This can lead to a variety of health issues and illnesses, including heart disease,
digestive problems, depression, and diabetes.
General Adaptation Syndrome

© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

Alarm reaction stage

 At the alarm reaction stage, a distress signal is sent to a part of the brain called the
hypothalamus. The hypothalamus enables the release of hormones called
glucocorticoids.
 Glucocorticoids trigger the release of adrenaline and cortisol, which is a stress
hormone. The adrenaline gives a person a boost of energy. Their heart rate
increases and their blood pressure rises. Meanwhile, blood sugar levels also go up.
 These physiological changes are governed by a part of a person’s autonomic
nervous system (ANS) called the sympathetic branch.
 The alarm reaction stage of the GAS prepares a person to respond to the stressor
they are experiencing. This is often known as a “fight or flight” response.
 HYPOTHALAMUS

STIMULATES
SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS
SYSTEM

INNERVATES

ADRENAL EYE LACRIMAL RESPIRATORY CARDIOVASCULAR GI LIVER URINARY TRACT SWEAT GLANDS FAT
CELLS
MEDULLA GLANDS SYSTEM SYSTEM SYSTEM
GLYCOGEN
SYNTESIS
↓GASTRIC LIPOLYSIS
BRONCIOLES INTESTINAL ↑SECREATION
DILATED RR↑ MOTILITRY
↓SECREATION
NOREPINEPHRI SPINCTORS
NE CONTRACAT
&EPINEPHRINE ↑FORCE OF
RELEASED CONTRACTION URETER
↑ CO MOBILITY
↑ HR BLADDER
↑ BP MUSCLE
CONTRACTS
PUPILS DILATED
SPINCTOR
RELAXES
Stage of Resistance
 During the resistance stage, the body tries to counteract the physiological changes that
happened during the alarm reaction stage. The resistance stage is governed by a part of
the ANS called the parasympathetic.
 The parasympathetic branch of the ANS tries to return the body to normal by reducing
the amount of cortisol produced. The heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to
normal.
 If the stressful situation comes to an end, during the resistance stage, the body will
then return to normal.
 However, if the stressor remains, the body will stay in a state of alert, and stress
hormones continue to be produced.
 This physical response can lead to a person struggling to concentrate and becoming
irritable.
 HYPOTHALAMUS

STIMULATES

PITUTARY GLAND

RELEASES

ACTH VASOPRESSIN GROWTH HORMONE TSH GONADOTROPINS

STIMULAT
STIMULATES ↑B.P.
VASOCONSTRICTIO ES
INITIALLY
N ↑SEX HORMONES
FLUID RETENTION ↑METABOLISM
LATER
↑SERUM GLUCOSE THYROID GLAND ↓SEX HORMONES
LIPOSIS
RELEASES
↑BMR
↓LIBIDO
GLUCOCORTIC MINERALOCO IMPOTENCE
IODS RTICOIDS
↑GLUCONEOGENESI
S Na & H20
↓IMMUNE
RESPONSE
RETENSION
↓INFLAMMATON
 Exhaustion stage
 After an extended period of stress, the body goes into the final stage of GAS, known as the
exhaustion stage. At this stage, the body has depleted its energy resources by continually
trying but failing to recover from the initial alarm reaction stage.
 Once it reaches the exhaustion stage, a person’s body is no longer equipped to fight stress.
They may experience:
 Tiredness
 Depression
 Anxiety
 Feeling unable to cope
 If a person does not find ways to manage stress levels at this stage, they are at risk of
developing stress-related health conditions.
 EVALUATION OF GAS
◦ The first step to controlling GAS is to understand what triggers stress.
◦ Different things trigger stress for different people. It is important for a person
to identify what situations and events are particularly stressful for them. It may
then be possible to make lifestyle changes to reduce exposure to these triggers.
◦ For example, a long commute may be stressful. If so, moving job roles
somewhere closer to home, or asking to work remotely, may help.
◦ When it is not possible to avoid a stress trigger, it is important to find a way to
reduce the impact it has on body and mind.
SUMMARY
CONCLUSION
◦ Stress causes physical changes in the body. GAS is a three-stage process the body goes
through when exposed to stressful events. Long-term stress has a negative impact on physical
and mental wellbeing.
◦ The final physical stage of GAS is known as exhaustion and may happen when a person is
exposed to stress for extended periods of time. This, in turn, makes them more vulnerable to
stress-related illness.
◦ Understanding stress triggers may help someone to make lifestyle changes to reduce stress.
◦ Where this is not possible, finding ways to manage the impact of stress on the body and mind
is critical.
◦ Managing stress can include activities, such as deep-breathing, yoga, mindfulness, or
meditation.
Many Effective Stress-Management Techniques

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Kozier & Erb’s, fundamental of nursing; 8th edition;Pp- 1061-1064.
2. Potter & Perry, Fundamental of nursing; 5th edition;Elsevier publishers ,Pp-485-500
3. Morgan T Clifford,(1993) "Introduction to psychology”, 7th edn, Tata Mcgraw-hill publishers,Pp- 321-
327
4. Mary C. Townsend, “Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing- Concepts of care in evidence based Practice”,
Jaypee Publication; 5th Edition, Pp- 3-8.
[Link] AJ, DeWeese BH, Wagle JP, Carroll KM, Sausaman R, Hornsby WG 3rd, Haff GG, Triplett NT,
Pierce KC, Stone MH. The General Adaptation Syndrome: A Foundation for the Concept of
Periodization. Sports Med. 2018 Apr;48(4):787-797. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0855-3. PMID: 29307100.
6. [Link]
The General Adaptation Syndrome: A Foundation for the Concept of Periodization
Aaron J Cunanan 1, Brad
H DeWeese , John P Wagle , Kevin M Carroll , Robert Sausaman , W Guy Hornsby 3rd , 
 2  2  2  2  3

G Gregory Haff , N Travis Triplett , Kyle C Pierce , Michael H Stone

 4  5  6  2

Affiliations 
PMID: 29307100 
DOI: 10.1007/s40279-017-0855-3
ABSTRACT
◦ Recent reviews have attempted to refute the efficacy of applying Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
as a conceptual framework for the training process. Furthermore, the criticisms involved are regularly used as
the basis for arguments against the periodization of training. However, these perspectives fail to consider the
entirety of Selye's work, the evolution of his model, and the broad applications he proposed. While it is
reasonable to critically evaluate any paradigm, critics of the GAS have yet to dismantle the link between
stress and adaptation. Disturbance to the state of an organism is the driving force for biological adaptation,
which is the central thesis of the GAS model and the primary basis for its application to the athlete's training
process. Despite its imprecisions, the GAS has proven to be an instructive framework for understanding the
mechanistic process of providing a training stimulus to induce specific adaptations that result in functional
enhancements. Pioneers of modern periodization have used the GAS as a framework for the management of
stress and fatigue to direct adaptation during sports training. Updates to the periodization concept have
retained its founding constructs while explicitly calling for scientifically based, evidence-driven practice
suited to the individual. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide greater clarity on how the GAS serves
as an appropriate mechanistic model to conceptualize the periodization of training