Stress

Stress is factor that is a part of daily living that is caused due to events in people's lives and is enhanced by how they decide to deal with their problems (Weiten, Dunn & Hammer, 2012).People perceive and manage stress in many different ways, what one may consider stressful another person may not. Stress affects our emotional and physical responses ultimately impacting on our behaviour responses (Selye, 1984). This paper will define stress, the sources of stress, and the effects stress has on people's behaviour. This essay will examine the consequences of stress on their emotional and physiological responses, and finally how they deal and cope with stress linking all main theory's to current literature and academic journals to draw on the conclusion that if stress is left untreated it can impact on one's behavioural response through the physiological and emotional responses of to stress.

Stress is the physiological response a person has to internal or external stressors. Stressors are defined as anything that requires a person to make an adjustment either emotionally, physically or mentally (Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, Bem & Nolen-Hoeksema, 1996). How a person perceives the stressor will impact on how they handle the situation, Weiten et al. (2012) defines Stress as "any circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one's well-being and thereby tax one's coping abilities" (p.71). One's coping abilities can depend on how stress affects their emotional and physiological responses and these responses are linked to various signs of behavioural problems due to stress.

Sources of stress can be the hassles of everyday life, decisions at work or at home, pressure from work, family and friends, the daily demands to perform (Bhargava, 2008). Weiten (2008) argues that stress can come from two possible sources externally or internally. External factors contributing to stress include major life changes, work, relationship difficulties, financial problems, being too busy, children and family all cause pressure on a person's life (Weiten, 2008). Internal factors, contributing to stress include inability to accept uncertainty, pessimism, unrealistic expectations, perfectionism and lack of assertiveness (Weiten et al, 2012). Internal and external sources of stress both play a role on our behaviour but depending on the extent of the stress will depend on a person behavioural responses.

There are two different levels of stress, acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is short lived and does not have a huge impact on individual for long (Bhargava, 2008). Acute stress could be the stress of meeting a deadline, where there is pressure to perform. The responses to acute stress are usually short lived but still impact on our behaviour being that people may lash out, or show signs of emotional stress being sad or unhappy (Zautra, 2003). This kind of stress can also be positive stress. Stress is not always harmful, individuals can still have positive reactions to stress as it can help motivate, stimulate and add challenges (Myers, 2008). Positive stress helps an individual to make any necessary changes in their lives. Positive stress can even help a person to take up a new job, change their schedule, leave during a threatening or dangerous situation and make necessary lifestyle changes (Myers, 2008).

Chronic stress is when individual cannot let go of the stress or they cannot see past the event, and this is the stress that can lead to physiological problems (Weiten et al, 2012). Selye's (1984) theory on physiological response to stress has three stages and is defined as the general adaptation syndrome .The theory states that the body's initial reaction to stress's the alarm stage, the next stages is the resistance stage, were if a threat is not resolved the body reduces its initial responses and attempts to restore lost energy and repair bodily damage. The final stage is the exhaustion stage, were the body can no longer fight the stress, the bodies physiological resources can no longer cope with stress which may lead to stress related responses (Selye, 1984).

Psychological stress symptoms occur when stress has been a part of a person's life for quite some time (Benson, 2008). A person's mental and physical health is being drained, and this affects the ability to cope with the stressors. There are many signs of psychological stress symptoms being and not limited to excessive mental tiredness, Confused thinking, finding it hard to concentrate, decision making becomes difficult, they may become more forgetful, low self-confidence which all may trigger emotional responses(Weiten et al, 2012). The physiological signs of stress due to the stressful event are signs of increased blood pressure, increased heartbeat, and signs of twitching or any physical sign that the body produces to alert the