“Psychological research has provided evidence to support the view that stress can be caused by life changes. It has also provided evidence of individual differences in response to sources of stress.” Discuss the view that stress is environmentally determined. Although stress is an unavoidable part of life and may not be entirely negative as it is able to increase motivation and arousal, psychological research has shown that it can be caused by life changes and can therefore be environmentally determined. Marmot et al (1997) recognised that an environment such as the workplace can cause stress.
The results from lower-paid and higher-paid grades self-report questionnaires and five year follow up showed that the lower-paid grade had an overall increase in stress-related illnesses. Consent and debriefing would have been mandatory, however the sample of government civil servants was biased, which would therefore make it difficult to generalise findings. Nonetheless, Fox et al (1993) also concluded evidence that a personal in a low-control high-demand job would also suffer from stress related illness. The workplace can be deemed stressful due to environmental factors such as noise, temperature, control and workload, which are all potential sources.
Life changes and daily hassles are also a cause of stress according to Holmes and Rahe (1967) retrospective study. With the social readjustment rating scale (SRRS), participants identified personal life events and were able to give them a social value score. Higher life change units (LCU) were related to an increase in stress related illness, studied by Rahe (1970). As a US study, it was culturally specific; however there wasn’t any manipulation of variables so there were no serious ethical issues. In these terms, stress can either be short-lasting and acute, for example, going into an examination, or longer-lasting and chronic, for example, the death of a spouse may cause prolonged stress. Daily hassles cannot be considered as major life events, but instead are the small daily stressors.
As much as suggestions have been made about stress being environmentally determined, there is also a large bearing on individual differences. For example, what one person might find stressful, another might not. A current approach, The Transactional Model, defines that stress is an imbalance between perceived demands and perceived coping resources: ultimately giving a major role to individual differences. Through primary appraisal the person is able to assess the situation, and then secondly, in secondary appraisal, assesses their ability to cope with the situation in question.
Personality factors, such as behavioural types, also may result in the way a person may handle a situation. A Type A behaviour (TAB) person is linked to being vulnerable to stress related illness, showing that stress can also be caused by a behaviour type as well as environmental factors, as a Type B behavioural type will not become as vulnerable to stress. Rosenman et al (1976) followed middle-aged men and directed a link between TAB and stress related illness. In accordance with this, a person’s hardiness may also determine how stressful they might deem a situation to be. The three basic elements include control, commitment and challenge, which increase resistance to stress. This evidence is slightly contradictory against environmental factors: although environmental factors do contribute towards stress, a personality factors can combat against this result and therefore it is individual differences which conclude a person’s reaction.