 What is Stress? The word stress was borrowed from physics by Hans Selye in the 1930s where it means “external pressure exerted on a malleable object to produce distortion or strain”. So applying this to mental stress would mean that an external event (stressor) e.g. job loss, acting on the psyche (mind) of an individual would create psychological strain. In other words mental stress occurs if the following conditions exist together:
Too much work at a job might be tolerated well by one person whereas the other might get overwhelmed. The difference in their stress level is based on their perception, evaluation and reaction to the situation. “Its not the load that breaks you
down, it’s the way you carry it.” Some kinds of stress are good because they improve concentration and motivation, while others are harmful, producing fear and anxiety. Hans Selye, who developed the major theories of stress and illness did not view stress as always being a negative factor in a person’s life. It is damaging only when it overwhelms and produces distress in life. Whether an event is perceived as stressful or motivating depends on the “Nature of the event” and “the coping mechanism of the person”. So stress is not a condition on its own, but rather a reaction to something or what stress pioneer Hans Selye called “an adaptive response to a noxious event”. Stress can sometimes bring out the best in people for example people finish assignments more efficiently when there is a stress of a dead line or students learn more when there is pressure of exam, whereas in others stress can cause anxiety, depression and paralysis.
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