In this article, we are going to be taking a good look at stress and adaptation and how they apply to our every day life’s.
Stress
Stress is defined as an individual’s physical, mental or emotional reaction to any changes that requires adjustment or response. One can say it is a non-specific response of the body to the demand made on it.
Adaptation
Adaptation is defined as the outcome of any positive coping which is characterized by a shift in the health illness continuum from the illness end towards the health end, and is accompanied by a psychological sense of being and an optimum social and physiological functioning.
Maladaptation
when a wrong coping strategy is adopted, the shift in the health – illness continuum will be from the health end towards the illness end, accompanied by a diminished self concept and a deterioration in social functioning. This is termed as maladaptation.
wrong coping strategy may include;
- having a wrong focus of a situation. e.g focusing on a problem instead of oneself
- violation of culture or social expectation. for instance reaction to frustration by rioting
- adopting negative lifestyle such as excessive drinking, over eating or smoking.
Understanding Adaptation
Adaptation can also occur when an individual’s physical or behavioural response to any change in his or her internal or external environment. In other words one can say that adaptation is the capacity of a person to survive and flourish in the face of stress in three important areas of life;
1. physical health
2. psychological well being
3. social functioning
1. Physical Health
in the area of physical health, there must be indications of positive physical functioning in all the body systems especially the cardiovascular and immunity. some of the indications include;
- adequate sleep and rest
- adequate feeding and possession of good appetite
- a normal body temperature
2. Psychological well being
In area of psychological well being, there must be
- a general sense of well being as expressed in mood
- a high self-esteem
- a positive outlook on life
- demonstration of optimism and confidence in situations.
3. Social Functioning
Here there must be
- a positive interpersonal relationship
- a positive work experience
- maintenance of social activities or activities of daily living.
Stages Of Adaptation
Adaptation as a process occurs in three stages;
1. Alarm reaction stage
2. The resistance stage
3. The exhaustion stage
1. The Alarm Reaction Stage
this is the stage where an individual perceives the presence of stress or where the body or personality is alerted of a threat, delay or barrier.
It is divided into two phases;
a. Shock Phase
When the body percieves the stressors consciously or unconsciously at this phase, the body responds in the following pattern;
- physiologically; the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated as well as the hypothalamus and the endocrine gland. Here the individual is inclined to run away from the stressors. it is also characterized by sweating, anorexia and so on.
- psychologically; there may be panicking, anger, despair, fear, shame, guilt, envy, confusion and much more.
- socially: there maybe withdrawal of communication in the form of mutism, as well as isolation following shame. There is also withdrawal in functioning as in work or other activities of daily living.
b. Counter-Shock Phase
It is called the fight phase. In this phase, changes in the shock phase is reversed with parasympathetic stimulation. This can manifest as reduction in emotions, normalization of vital signs and other physical symptoms. This individual regains the willingness to fight or face the challenge pose by the stressors.
2. Resistance Stage
this is the stage that adaptation occurs. It is built on the state of readiness and determination in the counter-shock phase of the alarm reaction stage. The individual resist the stressor by mobilizing his or her internal physiological and psychological responses to solely deal with the stressor. Physiologically, it is by means of homeostatic defence mechanism while psychologically it is by the ego defence mechanism.
Individual adapts in this phase by the following;
- the level of preparation during the alarm reaction stage
- the previous experiences of the individual
- the coping ability of the individual
3. Exhaustion Stage
Entry into exhaustion stage implies that adaptation was not successful, or was not achieved in the resistance stage.
It is the stage where ill-health occurs. This phase does not depend on the internal resources alone, but external international measures are used to reinforce or support the failing internal mechanism.
- physically; administration of oxygen, intravenous fluids, offering of physical assistance and much more
- psychologically; the establishment of therapeutic relationships and communication, behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy and other external measures.
- Socially; they may include incorporation of family members, friends and support groups to facilitate adaptation.
We hope this information was helpful. Feel free to ask your questions in the comment section below.