Selye - GAS

Theory: Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome

Background

Hans Selye was a medical doctor. He noticed that patients shared a common set of symptoms regardless of their particular injury or illness.

This led Selye to propose the concept of general adaptation syndrome (GAS).

• Selye suggested that the body produces a general response to threat (stressor).
• This response is adaptive because it enables the body to cope with extreme stress.
• Finally he used the word 'syndrome' because a syndrome is the term for a condition that consists of several different identifiable symptoms.

Thus GAS = general+adaptation+syndrome

The Three Stages

Stage 1: Alarm Stage

Perception of the stressor leads to a response, i.e. alarm reaction.

In physiological terms, the hypothalamus sends a signal to the…