Introduction to General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Hans Selye, a pioneering endocrinologist, introduced the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) theory in 1976 to describe the body's holistic physiological response to stress. Unlike models focusing on cognitive interpretation, GAS emphasizes a universal, biological reaction involving all body systems when faced with stress. To fully appreciate this, it helps to have a Comprehensive Overview of the Endocrine System and Its Functions, as the endocrine system plays a crucial role in hormone regulation during the stress response.
Stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome
1. Alarm Stage
- Immediate reaction: Upon encountering a stressor, the body perceives a threat, triggering an alarm response.
- Physiological changes: The sympathetic nervous system releases adrenaline and other stress hormones, activating the "fight or flight" response. For a deeper understanding of how these nervous system components work during stress, see Comprehensive Overview of the Nervous System: Central and Peripheral Parts.
- Example: Waking suddenly to the smell of smoke and perceiving danger, heart rate increases, and the body prepares for action.
2. Resistance Stage
- Adaptation phase: If the stressor persists, the body attempts to adapt by balancing hormones and physiological responses.
- Homeostasis efforts: The parasympathetic nervous system works to restore calm, allowing the individual to regain functions such as appetite and sleep. Insights from Understanding Sleep Stages and Effects of Sleep Deprivation enhance comprehension of how sleep is affected during stress adaptation.
- Illustration: Someone stressed about a loved one's kidnapping may initially lose appetite but gradually begins to eat and sleep despite ongoing stress.
3. Exhaustion Stage
- Resource depletion: Prolonged exposure to stress drains the body's ability to cope.
- Health consequences: Continued stress can lead to severe health problems like hypertension, migraines, depression, or even death. This is strongly linked to immune function, so reviewing Understanding the Immune System: Your Body's Defense Mechanism provides valuable context.
- Outcome: The body's defenses collapse, leading to exhaustion and potential medical emergencies.
Implications and Insights
- Stress is not just psychological; it involves comprehensive bodily reactions described in detail in Comprehensive Understanding of Stress in Health Psychology.
- Early recognition of the alarm and resistance stages can help manage stress before reaching exhaustion.
- Understanding these stages aids in developing effective coping strategies and medical interventions.
Conclusion
Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome provides a foundational framework for understanding how humans physiologically respond to stress over time. Recognizing the progression through alarm, resistance, and exhaustion stages underscores the importance of stress management for maintaining overall health and well-being.
Hello everyone, welcome back to my channel. In this video, we will talk about
the general adaptive syndrome as provided by Hanseli an Harvard endocrinologist
Hansel in 1976. Uh he had an experiment this another theory. Remember in the
previous video we talked about the cognitive or the transational model of stress by Laz and Fman and that theory
be looking at theory of stress trying to explain what happens you know remember like I've always said in my previous
videos that when we say theory about we're trying to provide an explanation to a particular phenomena or a
particular occurrence in this sitation is stress so the transitional stress model have said what uh uh their
position about stress saying that stress is in the eyes of a beholder.
But then Hanseli who was interested in the endocrine and physiological
reactions of um rats especially about their anxiety or fear um behavior.
researched and injected a a substance on the rat in his experiment. But on the way he was
looking for to check about their emotion and fear regarding anxiety. Right? He later discovered and propounded this
theory we call the general adaptive syndrome of stress saying that individuals
Um despite any other individual response to stress or anything that everyone have a general bodily or Yeah. general bodily
response to stress in which all part of your body is involved. Yes. Every part of it. every part of it at that
situation that the stress comes that the response is general and holistic. That is why once is touching your head the
stress you can't eat. A lot of other things is pending. When that stress is relieved, the
appetite restores. You see that it takes both psychological shape and bodily shape.
So he said we have this bodily general response because in his definition he
said it that stress in his response definition he he said that stress had to do with our bodily response to those
stressful situations or situations that is deemed to be threatening or stressful. Now
he propounded this and the the theory is a theory of three stages. It's a stage stages. Yeah. So they go from stage one
to stage two. The alarm stage is the first stage. Number two stage is the resistance stage and three we have the
existence stage. So in the alarm stage according to Hanseli
um yeah Hansi. So he said that there is this um body alarm
that comes up the psychic clock and everything there is alarm the body's alarm at that
very moment the stress occurs. So imagine uh a person that was sleeping and
all of a sudden you you perceive the smoke and you woke up the house was on fire.
You know that that alarm will be total. So at that point initially according to um Hansel that is the point that the
adrenaline by the sympathetic nervous system is triggered pump into the blood which for pumps in the hormone we call
the fight or flight hormone that prepares you either to fight or flight. When you see a snake, when you see a
lion, this fight or flight hormone, this alarm stage results to this physiological
reactions, physiological arousal, physiological responses, physiological reactions. This
is the alarm stage. every of these um stress hormones are pumped into your blood and preparing you
to either fight or flight. So that is alarm stage. So according to um Hansel 1976 he said that
again imagine you received the news that a loved one was kidnapped. You know it's the same situation of the person that
was in a fire right alarm stage adrenaline the heartbeat the physiological responses and or or
arouses right now in this second stage he said if that stress persists if that situation persist and not
recovered or or or ordated that There will be a point that your body, total body will calm down, start
to fight. You know homoasis is in the body. The homoasis will want to fight back trying to allow the alteration in
order to restore balance in the system. That is when you see parap sympathetic nervous system trying to bring back
calmness. So that's why the person I received the news that a loved one was kidnapped. Uh after 2 three days, you
know the first day perhaps the person could not eat and everything but second, third, fourth day you could sleep again.
You could eat again. Though the problem has not been alleviated, right? But at least the alarm is down. is scam but
the whole situation your body is simply fighting to resist the stress the the physiological
um arousals and everything that is second stage that our body have that role to pump in this stress hormones in
order to fight back and bring back calmness that is a resistance stage and you you understand that according to
that the third stage is the exhaustion stage when the person is exhausted. So in this stage here the the the the
for example the loved one has not been found one week, 2 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months.
Oh, you see that the resistance that your body is trying to build the to resist your thoughts trying to
hit your body to resist your anxiety trying to shatter your health. You you notice that the homoasis the bodily
resistance cannot hold again. You see depletion. You feel exhausted. That's where you see
the person's Some will develop heart problem, headache, migraine. Some will take to the hospital, high blood
pressure. You see, some even leading to death or depression, right? Another type of anxiety. They just develop that. So
this is exhausting stage where all the bodily resources are depleted. And according to Hansel, this is what he
called his theory of the general attitude syndrome theory by Hansel 1974 1976 as propounded by Hansel. So
this is the alarm state, resistance stage and exhaustion stage. Thank [clears throat] you and see you in
the next video.
Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome is a biological model describing the body's universal physiological response to stress in three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. It’s important because it explains how prolonged stress affects all bodily systems, highlighting the need for effective stress management to maintain health.
In the alarm stage, the body perceives a stressor as a threat, triggering the sympathetic nervous system to release adrenaline and stress hormones. This activates the 'fight or flight' response, leading to increased heart rate and energy mobilization to prepare for immediate action.
During the resistance stage, the body attempts to adapt to ongoing stress by balancing hormones and physiological responses. The parasympathetic nervous system works to restore calm, helping to regain functions like appetite and sleep, which may initially be disrupted by stress.
The exhaustion stage occurs when the body's resources are depleted due to prolonged stress exposure, leading to failure in coping mechanisms. Health risks include hypertension, migraines, depression, weakened immune function, and in severe cases, life-threatening conditions.
Recognizing the progression through alarm, resistance, and exhaustion stages enables early identification of stress responses, allowing individuals to apply coping strategies before reaching exhaustion. This understanding supports the development of interventions that restore balance and prevent stress-related health issues.
The endocrine system regulates hormone release during stress, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which coordinate the body's physiological reactions across multiple systems. This hormonal regulation is essential for initiating the alarm response and managing adaptation during resistance.
Yes, GAS encompasses both psychological and physical effects because stress triggers a comprehensive bodily reaction involving the nervous and endocrine systems. This explains why stress impacts mental health, sleep patterns, immune function, and overall physiological well-being.
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