Synonyms
Definition
Emotional stress involves the experience of negative affect, such as anxiety, in the context of a physiological stress response that includes cardiovascular and hormonal changes. Emotional stress commonly occurs when an individual perceives that he or she does not have adequate personal resources to meet situational demands effectively (Lazarus, 1966).
Description
Early conceptions of stress characterized its physical properties, with a focus on the disruption of homeostasis in an organism (Selye, 1956). The stress concept subsequently evolved to include a greater emphasis on the influence of psychological factors on the stress process. The term “emotional stress” reflects the fact that the stress process in humans involves a substantial affective component.
Emotional stress includes both negative affect, such as anxiety and distress, as well as a cascade of physiological responses associated with the...
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Mendelson, T. (2013). Stress, Emotional. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_289
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_289
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