Stress: The Hidden Adversary

This book is intended as an introductory text on stress and is aimed principally at students in the medical, para-medical and nursing professions, and for students of psychology and the social sciences. Additionally, students preparing for other 'caring' professions whose chief concern is with helping people in distress should find the book informative and instructive. Stress is a complex subject and the book will provide students with the opportunity to become acquainted with a multiplicity of topics cur­ rently in vogue which are subsumed under the general heading of stress. The book should also enable readers to gain some insight into the symptoms of stress in those whom they are seeking to help, and to empathize with them. A secondary objective of the book is to help readers to understand and come to terms with their own personal stress experiences, especially those which arise in connection with their professional work. The book begins by examining the nature and sources of stress, and highlights the difficulties inherent in attempting to formulate an adequate definition of the concept. There follows a survey of some of the conceptual models of stress which have been produced by researchers in the field, and a related section is also devoted to anxiety. Not all stress is harmful, and its motivational aspects are discussed. Nevertheless, a comprehensive study of the research evidence suggests that stress is detrimental to the organism's well-being, and various general causes of stress are mentioned.