Mason Stress Model of Personality Theories

 

Introduction

Stress is a fact of everyday life, and it can be defined either as a reaction or as a stimulus. Over the years and with the progress of science many factors have been identified as sources of stress, such as Biological, Chemicals, Microbial, Psychological, Developmental, Socio-cultural and Environmental. Propose of this study is to present the basic concepts and model of stress proposed by Mason, its effects on the individual, the coping strategies. The main theoretical approaches for stress are interpreting it differently, either as a stimulus, as a response or as a transaction.

Most important interventions for alleviating stress are anxiety reduction, anger management, relaxation and sleep, proper diet, physical exercise, relaxation techniques and effective time management. The term of stress was first used back in the 17th century as to describe the “sorrow, suppression, discomfort and adversity". In the 19th century the term was reformed and among other, had the meaning of a strong influence exerted on a physical object or on a person. Now days it can be said that stress is a global phenomenon and it is the result of positives or negatives life’s experiences. The concept of stress is significant because it provides a way of understanding the person as a whole in life’s various changes.

John Wayne Mason

John Wayne Mason, (1924–2014) was an American physiologist and researcher who specialized in the interplay between human emotions and the endocrine system. Mason is regarded as an international leader and theoretician in the field of stress research, where he was one of the field's most prominent voices speaking out against the reigning model of stress promoted by Hans Selye. Mason challenged the Selye’s stress concept. Hans Selye's original concept of stress as a biological process has had an enormously stimulating effect on many areas of medicine and biology over the past seventy years and continues to shape how people understand stress today.

While many researchers have taken Selye's experiments and interpretations at face value, Mason noticed that Selye repeatedly referred to emotional factors in these experiments as “mere nervous stimuli". Yet Walter Cannon’s prior work with animals and Mason’s own experiments at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) with both animals and human subjects, suggested that these “mere” stimuli were actually highly significant, and that the psychological and emotional state of the subjects under study required more careful attention.

Mason’s Stress Model

Mason 1975 proposes that a single term of stress is too vague and suggested that there be distinctions based on external challenges (i.e., stressors), psychophysiological responses (i.e., strain) and the interaction of the stimulus, responses, and appraisal processes (i.e., stress).

Concept of Stress

Stress is defined either as a reaction or as a stimulus. As a reaction the meaning of stress is consubstantial with specific changes that human biological system is experiencing. As stimulus, the definition of stress is related to environmental events that cause those changes. The stressful events can be acute, chronic, remitting and continuous chronic form. Mason outlines the state of research in the stress field and argues against Selye’s conclusions that stress has nonspecific effects (i.e., all stress results in the same physiological outcome). He provides evidence that stress has discrete effects and argues that the terminology for stress be differentiated into external challenges (i.e., stressors), psychophysiological responses (i.e., strain), and a transactional process of appraisal (i.e., stress). Mason (1971) found that in monkeys, differing stress responses were shown. For instance, cortisol levels increased in response to excessive cold, decreased in response to extreme heat, and did not change in response to excessive exercise. This weakens the suggestion that the stress response is the same in all situations.

Physiological Response to Stress

Acute stress: The sympathomedullary pathway (SAM) deals with acute stress by activating the fight-or-flight response.

A stressor is perceived, and the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Messages are sent to the adrenal medulla (the central part of the adrenal glands, situated above the kidneys), stimulating the release of the hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline. The effects of these include raised heart rate, dilation of pupils, tension of muscles, and the conversion of glycogen to glucose, to provide energy. Once the stressor passes, the parasympathetic branch of the ANS is activated. This reverses the effects of the sympathetic branch, returning the person to a state of calmness.

Chronic stress: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system deals with chronic stress. This takes longer to activate than the SAM system, but the effects last for longer.

A stressor is perceived, and the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF). This sends a message to the pituitary gland in the brain, causing the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) into the bloodstream. This travels to the adrenal cortex (the outer part of the adrenal gland), stimulating the release of the hormone cortisol. The effects of cortisol include providing long-term energy supplies to deal with a stressor. It can also have a negative effect on the immune system. The HPA system is self-regulating, via a ‘negative feedback loop’. Levels of cortisol are monitored by the brain, and if high levels are detected, the levels of CRF and ACTH are lowered, leading to a reduction in cortisol levels. 4

More Common Physiological Responses are:

 · Headaches

· Upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea

· Aches, pains, and tense muscles

· Chest pain and rapid heartbeat

· Insomnia

· Frequent colds and infections

· Loss of sexual desire and/or ability

· Nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ear, cold or sweaty hands and feet

· Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing

· Clenched jaw and grinding teeth

· Low Energy

Coping with Stress

“Stress Management Techniques,” induce a lower than usual stress level temporarily to compensate the biological tissues involved; others face the stressor at a higher level of abstraction. Stress management techniques are more general and range from cognitive (mindfulness, cognitive therapy, meditation) to physical (yoga, art, natural medicine, deep breathing) to environmental (spa visits, music, pets, nature). If the person has the resources to manage the challenge, he or she will usually develop a problem-focused coping response such as analysis (e.g., I try to analyze the problem in order to understand it better; I’m making a plan of action and following it). It is theorized and empirically demonstrated that a person’s secondary appraisal then determines coping strategies.

When faced with a challenge, an individual primarily appraises the challenge as either threatening or non-threatening, and secondarily in terms of whether he or she has the resources to respond to or cope with the challenge effectively. If the individual does not believe he or she has the capacity to respond to the challenge or feels a lack of control, he or she is most likely to turn to an emotion-focused coping response such as wishful thinking (e.g., I wish that I could change what is happening or how I feel), distancing (e.g., I’ll try to forget the whole thing), or emphasizing the positive (e.g., I’ll just look for the silver lining).

Conclusion:

· The fight or flight response may be less applicable to females. This is because preparing to run away from danger would be helpful to survival for males, but less so for females (as their offspring may be abandoned). It has been argued that females respond with a ‘tend and befriend’ characteristic, in order to protect offspring in times of stress. This means the fight or flight response could be an example of a male-centric viewpoint in psychology.

· Physiological explanations are often researched using animals, and therefore the cognitive aspect of stress is not considered. It is argued that humans cognitively ‘work out’ whether a situation poses a threat/is stressful, therefore there is more to the stress response than the simple perception of threat by the hypothalamus.