Introduction: The Concept of Stress and Its Historical Development

Abstract

The terra “stress” has been used, and occasionally abused, by scientists and by the lay public, in almost every single language of the civilized world. Many definitions and meanings have been ascribed either consciously or unconsciously to the word. Nevertheless, despite a lack of general agreement about its meaning, the term has prevailed because it attempts to address a basic principle of Nature, that of maintenance of balance, equilibrium, or harmony in the face of disturbing forces on the one hand and counteracting reestablishing forces on the other. One potential reason for the confusion surrounding the term “stress” is that it has been variously used to describe the disturbing forces, the disturbed balance or disequilibrium, and/or the results of the counteracting, reestablishing forces.

“He who thus considers things in their first growth and origin, whether a state or anything else, will obtain the clearest view of them.” Aristotle, circa 450 BC