In what way is the stress response paradoxical? How does the distinction between allostasis and allostatic load help clarify the paradox of stress?
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: Selye noticed that stress is paradoxical, in that the mechanisms evolved to protect and restore the body can damage it. At an experiential level, many people find some stress both motivating and exhausting. McEwan’s (2015) distinction between allostasis and allostatic load not only better captures the notion of stress as a dynamic process within the body—rather than a force imposed from without—but it also clarifies Selye’s paradox by bringing the difference between the immediate effects of short-term stress, on the one hand, and the cumulative effects of chronic stress, on the other. Allostasis refers to the body’s ability to adjust to a short-term stressor. Our bodies mobilize resources to adapt to a stressor and to protect use. With repeated stressors and repeated allostatic adjustments, however, allostatic load builds up; chronic stress causes cumulative wear and tear on the body.
Learning Objective: 7.3 Discuss major findings about fight or flight and social versus
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a. are looking at broader definitions of intelligence. b. are looking at narrower definitions of intelligence. c. focus on predicting the likelihood of success in school. d. focus on finding better ways to measure the g-factor.
Much of 19th-century psychological measurement focused on
A. personality traits. B. intelligence. C. ethics and values. D. sensory abilities.