The GAS Model

The general adaptation syndrome is the key to understanding the stress process. When confronted with major stresses individuals progress through three stages that are marked by several physiological processes. Selye called these stages the stages of alarm reaction, the stage of resistance and the stage of exhaustion.

The Stage of Alarm Reaction:

This is the first reaction of the body to stress irrespective of whether it is severe or transient. It is the initial shock phase where the body gets ready for fight or flight response that is mediated by the autonomic nervous system. The fight or flight response refers to whether an individuals would gear up his resources and fight the stress or would escape from the situation. In this stage, the body is readied to meet the emergency. During this stage, the bodys immunity is at its lowest. The immune system is the bodys doctor. It recognizes the presence of foreign substances and releases antibodies to fight with them. During stress, the combative strength of the immune defenses decreases and the body becomes prone to illness. If the crisis subsides during the alarm stage itself and if the body has the necessary resources to cope with them the body does returns to normal and will not suffer from many side effects. If, however, this does not happen the stage of resistance sets in.

The Stage of Resistance:

If the stress prolongs, the body enters the phase called resistance. During this phase, glucocorticoids are introduced in the body to put up more resistance and the body is able to adapt to it for a period of time. The physical response of the alarm reaction calm down and virtually disappear as the body runs in adaption mode This phase leads one to feel more or

less normal, but the internally taxing nature of this stage makes the body vulnerable to various stress-related illness. The organ systems enduring prolonged activation may become strained, wear out, and malfunction-especially if additional stressors are added. This stage does not last for a long time. Too much of taxation on the body tiers it and the last stage called the stage of exhaustion, ensues.

The Stage of Exhaustion:

In this stage, the bodys neuroendocrine systems efficiency to cope with stress reduces, and the release of hormones conducive to put up a fight also dwindles. During this stage, the immune system has lesser number of WBCs to fight with stress; it becomes considerably weakened, increasing the likelihood of infection and tissue breakdown. Thus during this stage, the organism is more vulnerable to diseases of stress such as colds, headaches, ulcers and so on. Selye has called these disorders as the diseases of adaption. Which part of the body will succumb to an illness depends upon the unique vulnerabilities of the body. At this point, the physical signs of the alarm reaction stage irreversibly reappear; the individuals become sick or debilitated, and may even die. Additional evidence to prove the link between stress and illness suggests that daily hassles such as interpersonal relationships; examinations, academic pressures and lack of social support too cause illness. Here are the ways shows the affect of stress on different parts of the body: Brain: Fatigue and aches, crying spells, depression, anxiety attacks, sleep disturbance. Gastrointestinal Tract: Ulcer, diarrhea, colitis, and irritable bowel. Glandular System: Thyroid gland malfunction. Cardiovascular: High blood pressure, heart attack. Immune System: Decreased resistance to infections. Probably the first attempt at proving experimentally that stress and illness are in fact related was by Joe Brady. His famous executive monkey experiment showed that prolonged stress leads to ulcers. Monkey Links One of the first studies to prove the link between stress and illness was the study by Joe Brady and his colleagues in 1958. In his experiment four pairs of monkeys were put in a situation in which only out of each pair could control the shock by pressing the lever. The other obviously had to wait. The findings of this study were that the four monkeys placed in the executive position died of ulcers. The findings were clear in suggesting that too much of responsibility had adverse effects on health.

Later Weiss in 1968 tried to replicate the findings of the study and failed in doing so. He suggested that probably the executive monkeys had higher rates of reactivity than the control monkeys. He, however, threw light on the concept of control as a moderator on the effects of stress. He in his experiments found that predictability, control and feedback in shock administration were linked to lower rates of ulcer occurrence. The implications are thus clear. Control over life and predictability leads to less stress.