NUR2459 Mental and Behavioral Health Nursing - Chapter 1 The Concep
Stress Adaptation
1. Adaptation A Adaptation is the
process by which
an individual's re-
sponse to change
results in preser-
vation of individual
integrity or timely
return to equilibri-
um.
2. Maladaptation Maladaptation is
the process by
which an individ-
ual's response to
change results in
disruption of indi-
vidual integrity or
in persistent dise-
quilibrium.
3. Stressor A biological, psy-
chological, social,
or chemical fac-
tor that causes
physical or emo-
tional tension and
may contribute to
the development
of certain illness-
es.
4. Adaptive responses Roy (1976), a
nursing theorist,
defined an adap-
tive response
as behavior that
maintains the in-
tegrity of the indi-
vidual. Adaptation
, NUR2459 Mental and Behavioral Health Nursing - Chapter 1 The Concep
Stress Adaptation
is viewed as posi-
tive and is correlat-
ed with a healthy
response.
5. Maladaptive responses When behavior
disrupts the in-
tegrity of the in-
dividual, it is per-
ceived as mal-
adaptive. Mal-
adaptive respons-
es by the individ-
ual are considered
to be harmful or
unhealthy.
6. Fight-or-flight syndrome Stress as a Biolog-
ical Response:
- Hans Selye's re-
search in 1956 pi-
oneered the un-
derstanding of the
physiological re-
sponse to im-
posed changes,
evolving his de-
finition of stress
to encompass
nonspecifically in-
duced changes
within a biological
system.
- Stress manifests
as a specific syn-
drome known as
the fight-or-flight
syndrome, charac-
terized by vari-
, NUR2459 Mental and Behavioral Health Nursing - Chapter 1 The Concep
Stress Adaptation
ous physiological
changes.
- Selye termed
this phenomenon
the general adap-
tation syndrome,
consisting of three
stages:
1. Alarm reac-
tion stage: Initia-
tion of physiologi-
cal responses akin
to the fight-or-flight
response.
2. Stage of re-
sistance: Utiliza-
tion of physiolog-
ical responses as
a defense mech-
anism to adapt
to stressors; suc-
cessful adaptation
may prevent or de-
lay progression to
the next stage.
3. Stage of ex-
haustion: Occurs
with prolonged ex-
posure to stres-
sors, leading to de-
pletion of adap-
tive energy and
emergence of dis-
eases of adapta-
tion; without inter-
vention, exhaus-
tion and potentially
death may ensue.
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