Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome

Front 1

Outline Stage one: Alarm

Back 1

1) Stressor perceived
2) Sympathomedullary pathway and pituitary adrenal system are activated
3) Stress-related hormone levels surge
4) Heart rate and blood pressure increases
5) Energy reserves are mobilised

Front 2

Outline Stage two: Resistance

Back 2

1) Response systems maintain activation if stressor persists
2) Stress hormone levels and bodily arousal stay high

Front 3

Outline Stage three: Exhaustion

Back 3

1) Chronic stress eventually exhausts body's defence systems and ability to maintain high levels of circulating stress hormones
2) Stress related illnesses may develop

Front 4

Evaluation of Selye's model
He emphasised the central roles of..

Back 4

1) Sympathomedullary pathway
2) Pituitary-adrenal system
3) Links between chronic stress and illness

Front 5

Evaluation of Selye's model
What was the GAS (general adaptation syndrome)?

Back 5

1) Common response to all stressors
2) Took response-based approach to stress: ignores individual differences and perception and appraisal

Front 6

Evaluation of Selye's model
What are stress-related illnesses thought to be caused by?

Back 6

Effects of chronic/long-lasting raised levels of stress hormones that can eventually lead to illness as opposed to exhaustion of physiological stress responses

Front 7

What was a lot of Selye's early work based on?

Back 7

Rats developing similar stress-related symptoms (gastric ulcers) to that of a human as a result of continual daily injections