Dynamics of Stress: Physiological, Psychological and Social Perspectives

347 Pages·1986·7.94 MB·English

by  Mortimer H. Appley

DynaDlics
of Stress
Physiological, Psychological,
and Social Perspectives
The Plenum Series on Stress and Coping
Series Editor:
Donald Meichenbaum, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Editorial Board: Bruce P. Dohrenwend, Columbia University
Marianne Frankenhaeuser, University of Stockholm
Norman Garmezy, University of Minnesota
Mardi J. Horowitz, University of California Medical School,
San Francisco
Richard S. Lazarus, University of California, Berkeley
Michael Rutter, University of London
Dennis C. Turk, University of Pittsburgh
Camille Wortman, University of Michigan
COPING WITH LIFE CRISES
An Integrated Approach
Edited by Rudolf H. Moos
DYNAMICS OF STRESS
Physiological, Psychological, and Social Perspectives
Edited by Mortimer H. Appley and Richard Trumbull
Forthcoming
COPING WITH NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS
Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives
Edited by C. R. Snyder and Carol E. Ford
A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring
delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon
actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher.
Dynamics
of Stress
Physiological, Psychological,
and Social Perspectives
Edited by
MORTIMER H. APPLEY
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
and
RICHARD TRUMBULL
Former Research Director, Office of Naval Research
Washington, D. C.
Plenum Press • New York and London
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Dynamics of stress.
(The Plenum series on stress and coping)
Consists of updated papers presented at the Conference on Psychological Stress
Theory, held Apr. 2-6, 1984 in Luxembourg and sponsored by Clark University and
the Government of Luxembourg.
1. Stress (Psychology)-Congresses. 2. Stress (Physiology)-Congresses. 3. Stress
(Psychology) - Social aspects - Congresses. I. Appley, Mortimer H. (Mortimer
Herbert) II. Trumbull, Richard III. Conference on Psychological Stress Theory (1984:
Luxembourg, Luxembourg) IV. Clark University (Worcester, Mass.) V. Luxem
bourg. VI. Series. [DNLM: 1. Stress, Psychological-congresses. WM 172 D997]
BF575.S75D96 1986 155.9 86-25175
ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5124-5 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5122-1
DOl: 10.1007.978-1-4684-5122-1
© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1986
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written pemlission from the Publisher
To Henry J. Leir, whose generous support made
the Clark-Luxembourg conference series possible
Contributors
Bernice Andrews, Department of Social Policy and Social Science, Royal
Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London, London,
England
Mortimer H. Appley, Department of Psychology, Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Clark University, Worcester, Massachu
setts
Shlomo Breznitz, Roy D. Wolf Center for Study of Psychological Stress,
University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
George W. Brown, Department of Social Policy and Social Science, Royal
Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London, London,
England
Laura M. Davidson, Medical Psychology, Uniformed Services University
of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
Bruce P. Dohrenwend, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Social
Psychiatry Research Unit, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia
University, New York
Susan Folkman, Stress and Coping Project, Department of Psychology,
University of California, Berkeley, California
Marianne Frankenhaeuser, Psychology Division, Department of Psy
chiatry and Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
vii
viii CONTRIBUTORS
Michael Frese, Institut fUr Psychologie, Universitat Munchen, Munchen,
Federal Republic of Germany
Giselher Guttmann, Psychologisches Institut, Universitat Wien, Wien,
Austria
Heinz W. Krohne, Psychologisches Institut, Johannes-Gutenberg Univ
ersitat, Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany
Lothar Laux, Lehrstuhl Personlichkeitspsychologie, Universitat Bam
berg, Bamberg, Federal Republic of Germany
Richard S. Lazarus, Stress and Coping Project, Department of Psy
chology, University of California, Berkeley, California
Klaus R. Scherer, Section de Psychologie, Universite de Geneve, Geneva,
Switzerland, and Justus Liebig Universitat, Giessen, Federal Republic of
Germany
Klaus Scheuch, Institut fur Arbeitshygiene, Medizinische Akademie "Carl
Gustav Carus," Dresden, German Democratic Republic
Wolfgang SchonpfIug, Institut fUr Psychologie, Freie Universitat Berlin,
Berli. Federal Republic of Germany
Jerome E. Singer, Medical Psychology, Uniformed Services University
of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
Richard Trumbull, Former Research Director, Office of Naval Research,
Washington, D.C., and 4708N. Chelsea Lane, Bethesda, Maryland
Preface
It was our privilege, some twenty years ago, to assemble a group of
Canadian and American investigators to examine the status of research
in the then newly burgeoning field of psychological stress (Appley &
Trumbull, 1967). As noted, in Chapter 1 of the present volume, there
has been rapid development of the area since then. The conference on
which the current volume is based was designed to do three things:
1. to further update the field,
2. to bring European and other perspectives to the
subject, and
3. to focus on the status of theory of stress.
We believe the reader will agree that all three objectives were accom
plished, though in so vast and active a field, one can never be totally
satisfied.
The authors included in this volume are among the leading inves
tigators in the field. They represent active research centers and programs
in Austria, East and West Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Sweden, and
the United States. Their chapters make contributions to stress theory
and methodology, inform us meaningfully of the perspectives of the
various research programs they represent, and provide, collectively, a
description of the dynamics of the stress process as currently emerging.
Early versions of most of the chapters that compose this volume
were presented and discussed at an invitational Conference on Psycho
logical Stress Theory, held in Luxembourg during the week of April 2-6,
1984. The Conference was the tenth in a series, on various subjects,
hosted by the Institut Pedagogique at its facilities in Walferdange, Lux
embourg, under joint sponsorship of Clark University and the Govern
ment of Luxembourg.
ix
x PREFACE
Costs of the Clark-Luxembourg Conferences, and of editing the
several volumes that have resulted from them, were underwritten by
several grants from Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Leir to Clark University. We
are deeply grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Leir for the encouragement of the
use of Luxembourg as a meeting place for international scholars and for
their generous support of Clark University in its partnership in the Lux
embourg conference programs.
One of us (MHA) is particularly indebted further to the Leirs for
their personal friendship of many years and for their support of his
transition from academic administration back to full-time involvement
in scholarly work. A postpresidential sabbatical leave from Clark Uni
versity, spent as Visiting Scholar in Psychology at Harvard University,
was likewise extremely valuable in this regard.
We are grateful to the distinguished group of investigators who
interrupted busy schedules to join us for a most provocative week of
discussions, and for the care with which they (and their collaborators)
undertook revisions and improvements in their papers, based on feed
back from both formal and informal dialogue among the conference
participants and with the editors.
Dr. Frankenhaeuser, originally scheduled to be with us in Luxem
bourg, was unable to attend at the last minute, but graciously submitted
her paper for inclusion in this volume, to which it makes a fine contri
bution. Drs. Lazarus and Folkman combined efforts, subsequent to the
Conference, to provide a single joint paper in place of the two they
presented in Luxembourg: and Drs. Brown and Singer both added col
laborators to help revise and extend their respective conference presen
tations.
Our thanks are extended to Dr. Gaston Schaber and his staff at the
Institut Pedagogique for the Conference support arrangements and to
Maripol and Veronique Schaber for their gracious hospitality. We es
pecially appreciated the assistance, during and after the conference, of
Mariann HUlldahl Appley, as hostess, translator, and critic-in-residence.
We are pleased that this volume is appearing in the new Plenum
Series on Stress and Coping, and look forward to subsequent volumes
to contribute further clarification of issues in this vital field.
MORTIMER H. ApPLEY
RICHARD TRUMBULL
Contents
PART I. INTRODCCTION ................................ .
CHAPTER I
Development of the Stress Concept ............................... 3
MORTIMER H. ApPLEY A;\;D RICHARD TRC:\1BCLL
Introduction ............................................... 3
Stress Research in the I960s ................................. 4
The Changing Face of Stress ................................ 7
Individual Susceptibility ..................................... II
Current Theories of Stress .................................. 12
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PART II. SOME THEORETICAL APPROACHES 19
CHAPTER 2
A Conceptual Model for the Examination of Stress Dynamics 21
RICHARD TRUMBULL AND MORTIMER H. ApPLEY
Introduction ............................................... 21
Parallel Systems ............................................ 22
Physiological System Functioning ............................ 23
Psychological System Functioning ............................ 25
Social System Functioning ................................... 26
xi