Explain what is meant by the term stress. Evaluate the importance of cognitive appraisal in the experience of stress. Distinguish between primary and secondary appraisal using illustrative examples from your own recent experience.
What will be an ideal response?
Stress is defined as mental and physical tension that results from the inability to cope with a situation or event. Richard Lazarus proposed that how you perceive or think about a situation will dictate if it is stressful. Therefore, cognitive appraisal is your personal interpretation of how stressful the situation is to you. The first thing you do is make a primary appraisal, or determine the level of threat you see in the stressor. If you see the situation as minimally harmful, you will feel less stress. An example would be having to complete a major project for a class at school that will count for half of your grade. Chances are that you will see this as a significant threat and experience a high degree of stress. You would then engage in secondary appraisal, where you examine your available resources for coping with the threat. If you believe you have the resources to deal with the event, you will find it less stressful. For the example above, when you are needing to determine what resources you have, you would see if you have a tutor or writing center that might help you to complete the project with excellence. If you feel you have a number of resources to help you, chances are that you will not experience as much stress.
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