Question

1. Give a real-life example (either you or someone you know or an example you found online) of the alarm stage of GAS.

2. Give a real-life example of the resistance stage of GAS.

3. Define what the exhaustion stage of GAS could look like and use a real-life example.

Answer 1

ans:

1. I recently came across an experiance which made me realise the application of General Adaptation Syndromme by Hans Selye.I was to present my thesis before a larger audience that i never faced before.i felt really stressed as i stepped up to the stage and i felt the Alarm stage as my heart started to pound faster i began to breathe faster.I felt like my head was about to explode as my blood pressure was elevating and blood was being pumped faster and harder,so i came across the flight or fight response. my arms and legs felt warm, since more blood was sent to those areas in case I decided to choose the “flight” option of the “fight-or-flight” response. I felt a sudden rush of energy – production of adrenaline increased as well. Since the alarm phase is so short – a few seconds, if that – I did not make any decisions, or even think about making a decision. Emotionally, I began to feel much more nervous.

2.Next is the resistance phase. Production of adrenalin returned to normal, although the effects linger, and emotionally I still feel highly nervous and frightened. I had to decide if I would stay and speak or if I would flee, which was not really that much of a choice for me, but I technically could have fled had I felt it was necessary.

3.Finally, exhaustion sets in as I finish the speech. My legs become weak and rubbery. Emotionally, I felt extremely exuberant – I successfully overcame the stressful task at hand. Over the next minute, my breathing and heart rate returned to normal, and I felt drained.

this is an example of what GAS looks like in real life.Sometimes the stages cannot be quite differentiated but the underlying physiology is the same in all cases with respect to the stressor encountered.