Biological exp1:physiological response to acute stress(EVAL)

• Supporting evidence:

  Stress is naturally occurring. Lear eat al (1996) increased cardiovascular related illness following earthquake in California.
• Cardiomyopathy: chronic disease of the heart muscle. ”broken heart syndrome” lost, bereavement, and emotional and stress which increases level of adrenaline which is a negative effect.
• The adrenaline and acute stress focuses on physiological response to acute stresses, and the negative effect it has in the heart.

  Stress and laboratory setting is extremely difficult due to ethical restrictions placed on researchers. to overcome this research generally explores naturally occurring examples of disasters/ stressful environments to understand the stress response. An example of this is Leor et al (1996) who found an increase in the Number of cardiovascular related illness/death following an earthquake in California.
• Another example of research that demonstrates stress does have an effect on the head it research into cardiomyopathy also known as, broken heart syndrome. and individuals who have experienced loss of bereavements and severe emotional stress will have increased adrenaline which has a negative effect in the heart often missed diagnosed as a heart attack. This research example of stress at the stress response. Adrenaline does indeed have a negative effect in the heart as at the suggested.
• Contradictory evidence:

  Critics argue. The explanation is incomplete and does not fully explain individuals response to stress.

  Alternative explanations of stress provide more complex holistic picture.

  The transactional model of stress stress stress is not only exist then the individual or the environmen but a transaction between the two, this model suggest that an individual apraises the situation and there ability to cope with a stressor and this process determines the impact on the individual.
• An alternative explanation clearly shows that the adrenaline and explanation of stress does provide comprehensive explanation, and is perhaps too simplistic in its assumptions.
• Nature or nurture

  A key criticism of the biological explanation for stress is that its reductionist. It reduces the complex response to stress stres Into a simple physicological principal from evolutionary past. It clearly supports the nature side of the nurture/ nature and such offers include picture that does not explain the individual difference of the complex psychological factors involved with stress.
• It is, perhaps an updated view of stress today, as wanted world on another more interactionist approach, such as a diathesis stress model provide a more realistic explanation. The model provides an interactionist frame work while it proposes some individuals are more vulnerable to stress (diathesis) but the impact of the nature component is only triggered when it interacts with stressful life experience.

  This interactionist explanation helps us, understand stress, as it is more relevant than the adrenaline and acute stress explanation.
• NOMOTHETIC/ IDIOGRAPHIC

  Another key criticism. This explanation for stress is that it is based on large scale research using predominantly male samples (alpha bias), taking the research and applying them to all individuals. It’s nomothetic approach ignores gender differences dispute research suggesting make and females respond differently to stress.
• Evidence suggests the firefly response which is essential for evolutionary survival is different in females
• Females might deal with stressors by creating social networks and heading to the young indeed when under threat or fight would risk of survival of the offspring
• This is an adopted response driven by oxytocin
• Oxytocin relaxes individuals and makes them less fearful and more connected to others
• The hormone is noteably to be higher in males and females
• Adopting a non-thetic approach to research means the adrenaline and acute stress, explanations are unable to explain individual differences in the way we respond to stress
• USEFULNESS IN THE REAL WORLD.

  Okay, strength of the adrenaline and acute stress explanation is that there have been several useful applications developed based on the theory and it’s underlying principles.

  Biological treatments, such as drugs are commonly used in the treatments and management of stress. Beta blockers are a type of drug prescribed for heart conditions and having an antagonist impact reducing activity in the sympathetic branch of the ANS. alleviating the symptoms associated with stress such as increased heart rate.
• Nettle er al found that participants given atenolol (a type of beta blocker) had lower heart rates, better performance, and lesa subjective fear than the control group. Showing beta blockers are an effective way of decreasing th stress response . This type of research shows that the adrenaline and acute stress explanation is both correct and that it has useful applications in the real world.