Levels of Stress

Stress is a reaction to demands placed on a person’s body or mind.

The same event (e.g., war, economic depression) can create stress both for individuals and for large groups of people.

Biological stress occurs when something directly affects the body.

Example: Pneumonia viruses produce stress at the biological level.

• They act as a physical stressor.
• The body responds through its biological defences, such as the immune system.

Here, the main demand is on the body to fight the disease and maintain health.

Psychological stress is related to the mind, emotions, and inner conflicts.

Example: Guilt creates psychological stress.

• The person feels tension because of what they think or believe about their actions.
• Ego defences (defence mechanisms of the self) are used to reduce this inner tension.

At this level, the main demand is on the person’s thinking, feelings, and coping style.

Stress can happen to:

• An individual: one person feels stressed.
• A group: many people or whole communities feel stressed together.

Example:

• Wars and economic depressions create stress not only for individuals but also for groups and societies as a whole.

At the psychological level, arousal (state of alertness and activation) plays a major role in stress reactions.

The hypothalamus (part of the brain) starts stress responses through two pathways:

1. First pathway:

• The hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands.
• Adrenal glands release large amounts of catecholamines into the blood.
• These hormones prepare the body for quick action.

2. Second pathway:

• The hypothalamus works through the pituitary gland.
• The pituitary gland helps in the release of corticosteroids.
• Corticosteroids provide energy to deal with stress.

Emotional reactions to stress include:

• Fear
• Anger
• Sadness

Behavioural and cognitive responses are used to handle stress:

• Behavioural responses: What a person does to face, reduce, or escape the stress.
• Cognitive responses: How a person thinks about the stress and tries to understand or manage it.

Through these responses, the person tries to:

• Master the situation
• Reduce the stress
• Tolerate or adjust to the demands created by stress

• Stress can be experienced at biological, psychological, individual, and group levels.
• Pneumonia viruses are an example of biological stress; guilt is an example of psychological stress.
• Wars and economic depressions create stress for both individuals and large groups.
• The hypothalamus starts two stress pathways: one releases catecholamines from the adrenal glands, and the other, through the pituitary gland, releases corticosteroids to provide energy.
• Emotional reactions (fear, anger, sadness) and behavioural and cognitive responses help a person master, reduce, or tolerate stress.