Monday, January 29, 2007

General Adaptation Syndrome Examples

When discussing the body's response to stress, Canadian scientist Hans Selye developed the G.A.S. Selye's basic point is not groundbreaking; that prolonged stress can produce physical deterioration. Use this as a basic understanding of your examples.

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1 comment:

Matt Russak said...

1. A stressor that I dealt with recently was my audition for Carnegie Mellon University on January 28th. I felt the most stressed when I began the singing portion of the audition. At first, in the alarm phase, my heart began to beat faster, and I began to breathe faster. I could feel the blood pumping, meaning my blood pressure was elevated. My arms and legs felt warm, since more blood was sent to those areas in case I decided to choose the “flight” option of the “fight-or-flight” response. I felt a sudden rush of energy – production of adrenaline increased as well. Since the alarm phase is so short – a few seconds, if that – I did not make any decisions, or even think about making a decision. Emotionally, I began to feel much more nervous.

Next is the adaptation phase. Production of adrenalin returned to normal, although the effects linger, and emotionally I still feel highly nervous and frightened. I had to decide if I would stay and sing, or if I would flee, which was not really that much of a choice for me, but I technically could have fled had I felt it was necessary.

Finally, exhaustion sets in as I finish the songs. My legs become weak and rubbery. Emotionally, I felt extremely exuberant – I successfully overcame the stressful task at hand. Over the next minute, my breathing and heart rate returned to normal, and I felt drained.


2. For my next audition, I will have taken better care of myself ahead of time so that I am in full health, instead of being sick. I will practice more and make sure I am more confident. In general situations, I will try and stay calm, and be prepared for situations ahead of time as much as I can.