Psychology2016

Stress and Health 423

In an update of Selye’s original definition, researchers now define eustress as the
optimal amount of stress that people need to promote health and well-being. The arousal
theory, discussed in Chapter Nine, is based on the idea that a certain level of stress, or
arousal, is actually necessary for people to feel content and function well (Zuckerman,
1994). to Learning Objective 9.4. That arousal can be viewed in terms of eus-
tress. Many students are aware that experiencing a little anxiety or stress is helpful to
them because it motivates them to study, for example. Without the arousal created by
the impending exam, many students might not study very much or at all. In fact, as the
video Stress and Memory describes, studies have shown that small amounts of stress may
actually improve our memory. What about the student who is so stressed out that every-
thing he’s studied just flies right out of his head? Obviously, a high level of anxiety con-
cerning an impending exam that actually interferes with the ability to study or to retrieve
the information at exam time is distress. The difference is not only in the degree of anxi-
ety but also in how the person interprets the exam situation. What is eustress for one per-
son may be distress for another, and although both kinds of stress produce similar bodily
reactions, a more positive interpretation of a stressor leads to more positive coping with
that stressor (Fevre et al., 2006; Sarada & Ramkumar, 2014). A number of events, great
and small, good and bad, can cause us to feel “stressed out.” The next section looks at
how life’s big deals and little hassles contribute to our overall stress experience.

CC

Watch the Video Stress and Memory

Environmental Stressors: Life’s Ups and Downs

11.2 Identify three types of external events that can cause stress.

From the annoyingly loud next-door neighbor to major life changes, good or bad, stress
is a fact of life. Let’s take a look at the various causes of stress in everyday life.

CATASTROPHES Losing one’s home in a tornado is an example of a stressor called a
catastrophe, an unpredictable event that happens on a large scale and creates tremen-
dous amounts of stress and feelings of threat. Wars, hurricanes, floods, fires, airplane
crashes, and other disasters are catastrophes. The terrorist-driven destruction of the
World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, is a prime example of a
catastrophe.

eustress

the effect of positive events, or

the optimal amount of stress that

people need to promote health and

well-being.

catastrophe

an unpredictable, large-scale event

that creates a tremendous need to

adapt and adjust as well as over-

whelming feelings of threat.