Explain nature of stress

Stress drive from Latin words 'strictus' meaning tight or narrow and 'stringere', the verb meaning to tighten. These root words reflect the internal feelings of tightness and constriction of the muscles and breathing.

Stress is often explained in terms of characteristics of the environment that are disruptive to the individual.

There are three major types of stress, viz. physical and environmental, psychological and social.

1. Physical and Environmental Stress:

Physical stresses are demands that change the state of our body. For example, disabilities, malnutrition, injury, etc.

Environmental stresses are aspects of our surroundings that are often unavoidable such as air-pollution, noise, crowding, heat, etc. They can also be catastrophic events or disasters such as fires, earthquakes or floods.

2. Psychological Stress Internal Sources of Stress:

This is stress that we generate ourselves in our minds. These are personal and unique to the person experiencing them and are internal sources of stress. Some of these are:

(a) Frustation: Results from the blocking of needs and motives by something or someone that hinders us from achieving a desired goal. There could be a number of causes of frustration such as social discrimination, inter-personal hurt, low grades in school, etc.

(b) Conflict: It may occur between two or more incompatible needs or motives. e.g., whether to study psychology or sociology.

(c) Pressure: