... we look at stress from a biological perspective or from a humanistic approach it seems clear that our reaction to stressful situations allow us to cope, one way or another, with adverse conditions. Hans Seyle (1907-1982) produced a lot of work on stress. In 1936 he produced a theory which used the term General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) which described the non-specific response made to any stressors. In his theory he stated there were three stages to GAS; firstly alarm when the body reacts with increases in adrenalin, heart beat, blood pressure, dilation of pupils etc. this allows a person to be equipped with the ability to 'fight or flight' (from research by Walter Cannon 1932). The second stage of GAS is where the physiological changes begin to stabilise and repairs to any damage within the body are carried out. The body is vulnerable at this stage as another stressful situation would ...

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