Describe the nature and sources of stress.

Nature of stress:

Stress as such is like salt and pepper and a life without stress would be without motivation, as stress often motivates us to work in a certain direction.

Thus, without any stress in life, any individual will not be motivated to perform or carry our varied activities. As more salt than required can make food taste bad.

In a similar manner, stress beyond optimal level can have a negative effect on the individual and will interfere with his/her day to day functioning.

Types of Stress: Stress can be categorized into different types as follows:

1) Eustress: Stress can be good stress that is explained as ‘Eustress’. Eustress can be defined as “good stress, caused by a positive response to a desired stressor, such as a wedding or a new job.

2) Neustress: When stress is not helpful nor harmful, it can be described as ‘Neustress’.

3) Distress: This is the third category of stress that most people commonly relate stress with. ‘Distress’ occurs when the arousal experienced by the individual is very high or very low. 

Symptoms of Stress: Stress can have an impact on various aspects of life that include behavior, cognition, emotions as well as physical health.

Though stress will have a different effect on different individuals and each individual will react to stress in a different way, there are certain symptoms that can be related with stress.

These are discussed as follows:

1) Physical symptoms: The physical symptoms of stress include low levels of energy, stomach upset, headaches and migraines, pain and aches, chest pain, rapid heartbeats, lack of sleep and so on.

2) Emotional symptoms: The emotional symptoms include, displaying frustration, getting irritated or agitated easily, feelings of worthlessness, feeling lonely and even depressed.

3) Psychological symptoms: The cognitive symptoms related to stress include worrying constantly, experiencing racing thoughts, lack of organisation in thinking, forgetting, not able to focus, lack of judgment or poor judgment and also pessimism.

4) Behavioral symptoms: The behavioural symptoms of stress include deterioration in performance effectiveness, indulgence in substance use, prone to accidents, nervous mannerism, impaired speech and so on.

Sources of stress:

As we have developed a clear idea about the concept and nature of stress, we will now move on to the sources of stress. 

As such, the sources of stress can be categories in to three main sources, namely, Frustration, Conflict of motives and Pressure.

Frustration: Frustration can be described as occurring when a goal oriented behaviour of an individual is thwarted.

As stated by Mangal “a wide range of environmental obstacles, both physical and social and the internal factors in the form of personal limitations, biological conditions and psychological barriers may lead to frustration of our needs, motives and efforts”.

Conflict of Motives: The next source is conflict of motives that can cause stress as an individual has to choose between alternatives and decision making in this regard can lead to stress.

Conflict of motives can be of four different types, approach approach conflict, avoidance – avoidance conflict, approach – avoidance conflict and double approach – avoidance conflict.

i) Approach-approach conflict: In this type of conflict the individual has to choose between two goals that are positive and are similar.

ii) Avoidance avoidance conflict: The next type of conflict of motives is avoidance- avoidance conflict.

Here again there are two goals that are similar but as opposed to approach- approach conflict, the goals here are negative. 

iii) Approach avoidance conflict: Here there is a single goal which is both positive and negative.

For example, an individual taking up a job abroad may be excited about the opportunity but also has to face the fact that he/she will have to stay away from the family.

iv) Multiple approach avoidance conflict: It may so happen that the conflicts faced by us are quite complex and they are combinations of approach and avoidance conflicts.

Pressure: Pressure is yet another source of stress that can be external or internal.

External pressures are result of demands from the environment, responsibilities and obligations that are mainly social in nature as well as demands and expectations of the significant persons in our lives.

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