Rlchard Pettlnger

UNDERSTANDING STRESS

Stress is placed on anything that is given special emphasis or signif- icance, especially where this leads to, or involves, psychological, emotional, and physical strain or tension. A part of it is therefore subjective, in that different reactions are produced in different individ- uals by the same set of circumstances. Stress is caused by a combined physical and psychological response to stimuli (stressors) that occur or are encountered during the course of living.

Cooper (1997) ¹ summarizes stress as:

‘‘everything that deprives the person of purpose and zest, that leaves him with negative feelings about himself, with anxieties, tensions, a sense of lostness, emptiness and futility.’’
Fontana (1989) ² draws the meaning of the word from the Latin strin- gere, meaning ‘‘to draw tight,’’ and from the French word destresse, meaning ‘‘to be placed under narrowness or oppression.’’

Statt (1994) ³ draws attention to the physical response:

‘‘the human body is biologically programmed to react to challenges from the environment by mobilizing its resources. We can either confront the challenge and fight it or get away from it as fast as possible. The choice in other words is ‘‘fight or flight’’, whichever we deem to be more appropriate in the situation. If our brain

8 STRESS MANAGEMENT