The alarm reaction often succeeds in changing the situation so that the stressor is no longer present, as would be the case, for example, if one were to run away from a physical threat.
All these hormones are secreted into the bloodstream and have the effect of mobilizing the body to deal with the stressor.
If these localized responses to a stressor prove to be inadequate, eventually the third stage of stress, that of exhaustion, will be triggered, during which hormonal levels rise once more and the whole body becomes mobilized again.
The alarm reaction occurs when a stressor is first detected and activates a brain structure called the hypothalamus.
Selye proposed that if the stressor is not quickly defeated during this last stage, the individual can become withdrawn, maladjusted, and even die.
This three-part mechanism for coping with a stressor is called the general adaptation syndrome and appears to have evolved primarily to deal with systemic stressors.
During this stage the ability to fight off the stressor is high and may remain so for considerable periods of time.
Hans Selye, a Viennese-born Canadian medical researcher, showed that stressors trigger a chain of processes that begins with what is called the alarm reaction, may proceed to a second stage called the stage of resistance, and, if the stressor has still not been removed, may lead to a final stage called exhaustion.
When an individual is faced with a stressor, a hormone is released within the body which causes various physiological changes; the heart begins to pump faster in order to supply the body's muscles with a larger supply of oxygen, blood pressure therefore increases and the body perspires more to prevent over-heating due to the body's increased metabolic rate.
The typical student stressor is leaving their projects and work till last minute, always using the excuse that they work better with a tight deadline; we all know from experience however, that students are actually just too laid-back.
He said: "The impending court hearing was clearly a significant stressor in her life at that time".
