Think About It-Safety and Health in the Workplace

GSH-300 M4 Safety and Health in the Workplace May 22, 2015

Instructor: Jan Cohen

Michael Rhoden

Week 1 Day 3 Homework Assignment

Chapter 3: Respond to all the questions of the “Think About It” on page 97. Each response should be detailed with personal thought, supported by text and research, and be a minimum of 100 words.

1. Describe the alarm, resistance, and exhaustion phases of the general adaption syndrome and the body’s physiological response to stress. Does stress lead to more irritability or emotionality, or does irritability or emotionality lead to stress? Provide examples.

When stress levels are low the body is often in a state of homoeostasis. This is a balanced physiological state in which all the body’s systems function smoothly. Stressors trigger a crisis mode physiological response, after which the body tries to return to homeostasis by means of an adaptive response. The internal flight to restore homeostasis in the face of a stressor is known as the general adaptation syndrome (GAS). The GAS has three distinct phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Regardless of whether you are experiencing distress or eustress, similar physiological changes will occur in the body. Additionally, the GAS can occur in varying degrees of intensity, last various amounts of time, and be experienced differently by different individuals. Alarm Phase: This phase begins when a stressor disrupts the body’s stability, temporarily lowering resistance. “When the mind perceives a real or imaginary stressor, the cerebral cortex, the region of the brain that interprets the event, triggers an autonomic nervous system (ANS) response that prepares the body for action” (Donatelle, 2015). “The ANS is the portion of the nervous system that regulates body functions that we do not normally consciously control, such as heart and glandular functions and breathing”. “The ANS has two branches: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system...