Stress

Integrating different research programmes dealing with stress, this study explores the relationship between behavioural phenomena and the biological foundations of stress. It illustrates how behavioural mechanisms fail to allow organisms to respond effectively to environmental challenges.

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This study describes the relation between the behavioural phenomena and the biological foundations of stress. A range of definitions of this subject are discussed such as external stressors, hormonal states and pathological consequences, highlighting the difficulties and ambiguities in the use of the term "stress". The book illustrates how stress arises when behavioural and coping mechanisms fail to allow organisms to respond effectively to environmental challenges. Other topics include the hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical system and the sympathetic adrenomedullary systems and how they react to stressors, stress-induced analgesia, immune system interactions and coping strategies, and use of the model of coping as the focal point, involving either active or passive coping strategies.