chapter 3: stress

Question 1

stage 1 of GAS: alarm reaction: shock

Answer 1

body initially exposed to stressor
body goes into a temporary state of SHOCK
ability to deal with stress falls below normal levels
decrease in body temperature, blood pressure, muscle tone, and loss of fluids from body tissue
then the body rebounds going into COUNTER-SHOCK

Question 2

stage 1 of GAS: alarm reaction: counter-shock

Answer 2

during counter-shock, the sympathetic nervous system is activated and the body’s resistance to the stressor increases
fight or flight is activated
highly alert, defensive and ready to respond to stressor
adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones are released into bloodstream to supply energy to the body to fight

Question 3

stage 2 of GAS: resistance

Answer 3

body tries to repair itself after initial shock of stress
body’s resistance to the particular stressor rises above normal
intense arousal of the alarm reaction stage diminishes through the activity of the parasympathetic system but still remains at an above normal level
unnecessary physiological processes are shut down such as digestion, growth, menstruation because the body is trying to minimise stress and bring it back to homeostasis

Question 4

stage 3 of GAS: exhaustion