Hans Selye Stress Theory

Father of Stress

Hans Selye is known to be the father of stress. At the age of 17 he entered a German Medical School in Prague where he graduated and later earned a doctorate in organic chemistry.

As a medical student he observed patients suffering from different diseases and according to him "they just looked sick"

This was his first steps into digging into the idea of stress

General Adaption Syndrome

When he started to observe every patent, he later discovered the General Adaption Syndrome & the concept has been utilized in medicine and in almost all disciplines

• This Syndrome details how stress move hormonal autonomic responses and, over time, these hormonal changes can lead to ulcers, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, kidney disease, and allergic reactions.

Ideas

Selye was the first to identify that stress can lead to actual chemical changes in the body.

He found that the human-body repository for these kinds of triggered tensions and pains was the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal, (HPA,) axis.

• - Hypothalamic is a region of the fore brain below the thalamus which coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity
• - Pituitary is the major endocrine gland. A pea-sized body attached to the base of the brain, the pituitary is important in controlling growth and development and the functioning of the other endocrine glands.
• - Adrenal is relating to or denoting a pair of ductless glands situated above the kidneys

Experiment

He first observed the symptoms of G.A.S after injecting ovarian extracts into laboratory rats, an experiment he performed with the intent of discovering a new hormone. Instead, however, he found that the extract stimulated the outer tissue of the adrenal glands of the rats, caused deterioration of the thymus gland, and produced ulcers and finally death.

He eventually determined that these effects could be produced by administering virtually any toxic substance, by physical injury, or by environmental stress. Selye was able to extend his theory to humans, demonstrating that a stress-induced breakdown of the hormonal system could lead to conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure, that he called “diseases of adaptation.”

Connection To Class

We talked about stress and what it does to your body. Chapter 6 talks about the bad things stress does to your body. Hans Selye is mentioned in the book page 115 to be exact and he started to test things on rat but later on human and soon became the most important findings, his model remains a cornerstone in the field.

His model is mentioned in the book the three phases of this syndrome which is alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.