In the chapter “Stress and the Eyes of the Beholder” of his book Emotions, Stress and Health, Alex J. Zautra addresses many psychological and physiological effects of stress on a person. He also describes studies that have been conducted to observe these effects stress has on a person. Because stress is a very relative term, Zautra attempts to provide a clear, overarching definition of stress and explain how effects of stress are relative to an individual and their own personal experiences.
Zautra explains that our brains rely on rhythms and patterns. When things in our everyday lives are being repeated as normal, or routinely, there is very little risk of stress that can occur. However, it’s when change does occur that stress begins to settle …show more content…
For example, if you are either completely certain or uncertain something is going to happen, your stress level is lower because it is predictable. However, when you are about fifty-fifty percent sure something may or may not happen, that is typically when stress is at its peak. Another way Zautra describes this is when you can predict something will happen, you are able to prepare for it better and therefore reduce its impact on you. For example, when you prepare a presentation based on a specific audience, you can be confident in the delivery of your presentation because you have properly prepared. However, say in the end you find out that your audience has changed and you feel unprepared for your presentation and therefore begin to be affected by stress.
Stress affects different people in different ways based on experiences they’ve had. These personalized reactions are known as the stress response. The stress response is, by definition, the behaviors and thoughts resulting from a stressful occurrence or the coping mechanisms used to deal with the occurrence. By observing the stress response in a person, we can see the physiological effects that it has on the body. Zautra provides examples such as increase in the body’s heart rate and blood …show more content…
He successfully explains what happens in the brain when it comes to finding a way to respond to stress and how, in turn, that creates physiological changes in the body. Additionally, Zautra addressed many factors having to do with stress and how it effects us. He explained that the highest amount of stress occurs from unpredictability and that this is one of the basic foundations of stress. To back up his argument, he provided detailed summaries of studies that have been conducted that show that predictability results in lower stress levels for an
Zautra explains that our brains rely on rhythms and patterns. When things in our everyday lives are being repeated as normal, or routinely, there is very little risk of stress that can occur. However, it’s when change does occur that stress begins to settle …show more content…
For example, if you are either completely certain or uncertain something is going to happen, your stress level is lower because it is predictable. However, when you are about fifty-fifty percent sure something may or may not happen, that is typically when stress is at its peak. Another way Zautra describes this is when you can predict something will happen, you are able to prepare for it better and therefore reduce its impact on you. For example, when you prepare a presentation based on a specific audience, you can be confident in the delivery of your presentation because you have properly prepared. However, say in the end you find out that your audience has changed and you feel unprepared for your presentation and therefore begin to be affected by stress.
Stress affects different people in different ways based on experiences they’ve had. These personalized reactions are known as the stress response. The stress response is, by definition, the behaviors and thoughts resulting from a stressful occurrence or the coping mechanisms used to deal with the occurrence. By observing the stress response in a person, we can see the physiological effects that it has on the body. Zautra provides examples such as increase in the body’s heart rate and blood …show more content…
He successfully explains what happens in the brain when it comes to finding a way to respond to stress and how, in turn, that creates physiological changes in the body. Additionally, Zautra addressed many factors having to do with stress and how it effects us. He explained that the highest amount of stress occurs from unpredictability and that this is one of the basic foundations of stress. To back up his argument, he provided detailed summaries of studies that have been conducted that show that predictability results in lower stress levels for an