Describe research into causes of

stress [10]
Neil Dizon

Stress can be defined as the negative emotional state which has

been brought about by a stressor, which can be either an internal
or external factor. The lack of control theory is centered on the
idea that a perceived lack of control over a situation is a strong
reason for people to feel stress. A piece of research that
investigated this was the study done by Geer and Maisel. The two
set up a laboratory experiment to see if perceived control over
something aversive lessens stress, or conversely, lack of control
over a situation increases stress.
The study by Geer and Maisel consisted of 60 psychology
undergraduates from NYU who were made to look at photographs of
dead car crash victims. The sample was split into three conditions,
each with a varying amount of control.
Group 1 were told the timings of the photographs so they knew
when they'd appear and they were also told how to get rid of the
photographs from the screen (actual control over the situation).
Group 2 knew the timings only; they were warned on how long the
photos were shown for and that a 10 second noise would
precede them (actual predictability of the situation). Meanwhile,
Group 3 were unaware of timings and were told that from time to
time they would see photographs and hear tones (no control and
predictability of the situation).
Two physiological measures were used to assess stress response: an
ECG (electrocardiogram) machine that examined heart rate though
later discarded - and through galvanic skin response, which
measured the change in the skins electrical activity due to
emotional arousal, such as fear or stress.
It was found that Group 1 had the lowest stress according to the
GSR, and Group 3 had the highest.
In conclusion, lack of control can increase stress, and that control
over your environment could help to reduce stress.