The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Abstract

Abstract Selye (1956) indicated in the findings of his influential physiological research that ‘‘stress is part of life. It is a natural by-product of all our activities .. . . The secret of life is the successful adjustment to everchanging stress’’ (Selye, pp. 299–300). According to Selye’s GAS, there are generally three stages in the human body’s reaction to extreme stress. First, the alarm reaction, in which the body stirs up its defense mechanisms—the glands, hormones, and nervous system—into action; second, the adaptation stage, when the body fights back (e.g., the arteries can harden when the heart is under pressure); and third, the exhaustion stage, when the body’s defenses seem to be unable to cope, and the individual becomes seriously ill and may dieSelye concludes that the best way to survive and thrive is to adapt and respond in positive ways to the stress of life.