Which concept describes the overall pattern of physiological and behavioral responses to stress?

Which concept describes the overall pattern of physiological and behavioral responses to stress?

• A. GAS
• B. Stressors
• C. Stress
• D. Adaptation-level phenomenon

Answer: (A)

The general adaptation syndrome describes the body's universal pattern of response to stress across time: alarm, when the body first detects the stress and resources are mobilized; resistance, as the body tries to cope and maintain functioning; and exhaustion, when resources are depleted and vulnerability to illness or dysfunction increases. This pattern captures both physiological changes (like heightened arousal and hormonal shifts) and associated behaviors (such as restlessness or irritability) that can occur with many different stressors. It’s not about the stressor itself or the feeling of stress, but about a repeated sequence the body goes through in reaction to stress. In contrast, stressors are the external events that trigger stress, stress is the subjective experience of strain, and the adaptation-level phenomenon refers to how we perceive stimuli relative to a baseline rather than to the body’s general response to stress.

The general adaptation syndrome describes the body's universal pattern of response to stress across time: alarm, when the body first detects the stress and resources are mobilized; resistance, as the body tries to cope and maintain functioning; and exhaustion, when resources are depleted and vulnerability to illness or dysfunction increases. This pattern captures both physiological changes (like heightened arousal and hormonal shifts) and associated behaviors (such as restlessness or irritability) that can occur with many different stressors. It’s not about the stressor itself or the feeling of stress, but about a repeated sequence the body goes through in reaction to stress. In contrast, stressors are the external events that trigger stress, stress is the subjective experience of strain, and the adaptation-level phenomenon refers to how we perceive stimuli relative to a baseline rather than to the body’s general response to stress.