Additional Topic: Stress
Cover the complete Stress option through physiology, sources, differences, coping and evidence.
How to study Higher Psychology
Build each answer from accurate psychological knowledge, named evidence, application to behaviour, analysis and justified evaluation.
Core concepts
Concept 1
general adaptation syndrome, SAM and HPA systems
Exam cue: Trace each physiological pathway in the correct sequence.
Concept 2
cortisol, immunosuppression and physical health
Exam cue: Distinguish a stressor from the stress response.
Concept 3
life changes, daily hassles, workload and control
Exam cue: Match coping strategies to their biological, cognitive or social mechanism.
Concept 4
Type A and B, hardiness and individual differences
Concept 5
drug therapy, stress inoculation and social support
Concept 6
studies of physiology and individual response
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Treating all life changes as necessarily harmful.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Equating Type A with a diagnosis.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Listing hormones without explaining consequences.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Memory anchors
General adaptation syndrome
Alarm, resistance and exhaustion describe a prolonged physiological response to stress.
SAM system
A rapid sympathetic–adrenal response supporting immediate action.
HPA system
A slower hormonal pathway culminating in cortisol release.
Workplace stress
High workload combined with low control can increase stress.
Hardiness
Commitment, control and challenge can shape responses to stressors.
Social support
Instrumental support provides practical help; emotional support provides empathy and reassurance.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
What are the three stages of Selye's general adaptation syndrome?
What occurs during the alarm stage of GAS?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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