Stress in the 21st Century Essay - 2392 Words

â€Å"Stress is an epidemic in the 21st century and impacts on people’s behaviour in many ways. Discuss in light of the literature.† Stress is a term that is frequently used in everyday conversation. The conventional meaning of the word stress – too much to do, too much to worry about – was not part of the vocabulary some fifty years ago. In the 1930s the Hungarian scientist Hans Selye, the godfather of stress research, took an engineering concept and applied it to humans 1. Stress in general refers to force exerted on a system. In human terms however it would more correctly refer to circumstances that either threaten or are perceived to be threatening to a person’s wellbeing and consequently be taxing on their ability to cope with†¦show more content†¦The now well-known â€Å"fight or flight response†, originally conceptualised by Walter Cannon, was designed to help us fight a few life-threatening situations spaced out over a long period of time. When experienced over prolonged periods it can wear down our bodies and cause us to become ill, either physically emotionally 1. Chronic stress occurs too frequently from our modern day lifestyle of the 21st Century everything from high-pressure jobs to loneliness to busy traffic can keep the body in a constant state of perceived or actual threat and is now being seen as an epidemic 11. â€Å"Stress and its related co-morbid diseases are responsible for a large proportion of disability worldwide. The World Health Organization’s Global Burden of Disease Survey estimates that mental disease, including stress-related disorders, will be the second leading cause of disabilities by the year 2020† 12. Of the many types of stress, four major ones tend to stand out; frustration, conflict, change and pressure. 1. Frustration Frustration is the experience of having one’s path or access to a goal blocked. A goal may be blocked because an obstacle has been placed to prevent access or alternatively a goal may be inaccessible because one lacks the resources to reach it. This blockage can increase a person’s readiness to aggress. This is known as the frustration-aggression principle. Frustration can create anger which may in some people generate aggression. Frustrations wouldShow MoreRelatedStress Is An Epidemic Of The 21st Century1858 Words   |  8 Pagesanother, you just can’t relax. There is no doubt about it, stress is an epidemic of the 21st century and it s can easily creep into our lives and grow there if we let it. It s upsetting that in the USA today over 77% of people are regularly experiencing negative physical symptoms due to stress. For some people this can mean dealing with depression or anxiety, but for others it can mean that they get hungry! So hungry that they add the stress of weight gain to their growing list of problems†¦.. Read MoreA Healthy And Self Beneficial Activity1710 Words   |  7 Pagesliteracy is a creative method of relieving stress or anxiety with many mediums to choose from and styles to draw in, it can open many doors and opportunities, and it can even provide revenue for artists which can be beneficial to many. Literacy is the knowledge, awareness in a certain field and of all the countless types of literacy known throughout the world in the 21st century and in America, drawing should be more prominent in the world. For many, stress and anxiety are very difficult obstaclesRead MoreAfrican American Women Essay602 Words   |  3 Pagesslavery and being treated as second class citizens during the Civil Rights Movement. Now as we enter the 21st century, it is time to exert our strengths at a new level. The African American womans role is to grow and prosper in business, support and be active in her community, maintain a strong family foundation, be spiritually grounded and to emend our health. Black women entering the 21st century have surpassed boundaries and developed legacies in business fields such as architecture, theatre,Read MoreCritically Evaluate the Value of Academic and Applied Psychology in Facing the Challenges of Life in the Twenty-First Century1314 Words   |  6 Pages In the 21st Century, many problems face the people of today with academic and applied psychology facing those problems. One of the main problems that people face today is the idea of Globalisation. Globalisation is an ever growing process around the world, which has been an ever-lasting process throughout time and into the 21st century. Globalisation is described as â€Å"a process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas and other aspects of culture†Read MoreThe Negative Effect of Procrastination on College Students858 Words   |  4 PagesProcrastination is a tendency to postpone, put off, delay, reschedule, take a rain check on, put on ice, hold off, or to defer what is necessary to reach a particular goal.(Rogets 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition. Philip Lief Group 2009.) While attending College some students find it hard to juggle work, family, and friends. Leading most students down a dangerous path to procrastination; that negative impact affect students from their physical health, mental health, and social health. EveryoneRead MoreThe Nature Of Teaching And Learning1682 Words   |  7 Pagesattributes considered necessary for life, study and work in the 21st Century. This report builds on that foundation by examining how to assess 21st century competencies. The Queensland Curriculum’s Assessment Authority (QCAA) recommendation 18 states that in its specified assessments processes a greater focus on skills and attributes now being identified in senior secondary curricula as essential to life and work in the 21st Century (for example, teamwork, problem solving, creativity, verbal communication)Read MoreRacial Profiling And The Civil Rights Movement918 Words   |  4 Pagesis still very present in the 21st century. There have been numerous cases from Trayvon Martin, to Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, and many more lives that were lost in these last few years. Being mindful of who they’re around and what they’re doing is something that African Americans always think about, bec ause the last thing they want is to be one of these cases. Not only do African Americans have to deal with â€Å"normal† everyday difficulties, but added to that, is the stress of being black in America.Read MoreThe Immense Impacto o Sleeping on our Health1210 Words   |  5 Pages Research Paper â€Å"Insomnia is a complex condition caused by a number of factors.† A lack of sleep is one of the outbreaks of the 21st century. Sleeping has an immense impact on our health conditions and daily lives. Since it was first discovered in the 17th century all the way until now, the 21st century, people have found many approaches to treat insomnia. Evidently, they have now found many more causes for it then they had when they previously discovered insomnia. From home remedies toRead MoreThe Political Impact Of Collective Bargaining807 Words   |  4 Pagesadvantage in negotiating police work environment. Pillar 6 of â€Å"The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing† discusses the wellness and safety of an American police officer. It describes how stressful a police officer’s job can be, not only on the street, but also within the Department. An officer can face an abundant amount of stress which can alter his physical and mental health. It talks about how the stress can have a snowball effect on some police officers, causing unhealthy diets, poor exerciseRead MoreThe Dangers Of Internet Addiction Essay1645 Words   |  7 Pagesrole in people s lives, jobs, and even ideas and perspectives on certain issues. However, along with all these advantages, some real problems have developed as a result of its pervasiveness in our lives. The pervasiveness of the internet in our 21st century has caused a huge amount of danger in our everyday lives. The most important danger being addiction. Internet addiction is described as an impulse control disorder, which doe s not involve use of an intoxicating drug and is very similar to pathological