Approximate reading time: 3 minutes

Part 1 – Stimulus-Based Analysis with Ti and Carli Going to Live in University Residence

• Ti’s Experience with Stimulus-Based Stress: Ti perceives the move as overwhelming, triggering significant stress. They worry about leaving a familiar environment, adjusting to the fast-paced life of a university, and the challenges of living independently for the first time. In this case, the move acts as a stimulus that triggers a significant stress reaction in Ti, characterized by feelings of homesickness, anxiety, and concerns about managing new responsibilities.
• Carli’s Experience with Stimulus-Based Stress: Contrasting with Ti, Carli views the move as an exciting opportunity for growth. They feel anticipation and optimism, demonstrating that the same situation – moving to a university residence – can be perceived very differently. For Carli, this is not a source of stress but an exciting new chapter, as they look forward to new experiences and independence.

This example illustrates that while the stimulus-based definition focuses on external events as primary stressors, it fails to account for individual interpretations and reactions to these events. The same stimulus – moving to university residence – results in different stress levels for Ti and Carli, indicating that external events alone cannot fully define or predict stress.

Part 2 – Response-based Analysis with Ti and Carli Going to Live in University Residence

• Ti’s Experience with Response-Based Stress: Ti experiences both emotional and physical symptoms of stress, such as an increased heart rate and restlessness, when thinking about the move. These symptoms align with the response-based definition, as they are physiological responses to the perceived stress of moving.
• Carli’s Experience with Response-Based Stress: Carli, though excited, also experiences physical reactions like a burst of energy and heightened alertness. According to Selye (1976), stress responses can occur even in reaction to positive events. In Carli’s case, their body’s response to the positive challenge of embracing new opportunities demonstrates that stress is not always linked to negative experiences.

These examples show that while the response-based definition emphasises physiological reactions to situations, these responses are not exclusively linked to negative or stressful situations. Both Ti’s and Carli’s experiences illustrate that physiological reactions can occur in a variety of emotional states, including positive anticipation.

Image Attributions

Figure SUP WB.5. Moving into the university residence by Rachel Lu is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license.