Interaction of genetic and psychosocial factors in stress-reaction patterns: a systems approach to the investigation of stress-coping mechanisms.
Selye refers to stress as 'the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it'. Our experimental data indicate that: (1) there are significant constitutional differences in the types of stress reactions exhibited by different breeds of dogs; (2) inability to achieve an adaptive consummatory response or to develop a sense of control over stressful situations may lead in susceptible individuals (low adaptation dogs) to the development of maladaptive distress reactions, evidenced by persistent psychovisceral turmoil; (3) such maladaptive distress reactions represent a physiologic substrate of anxiety and frustration; (4) exposure of the low adaptation dogs to similar stressors but under conditions where the animals can develop avoidance responses, inhibited the psychovisceral disturbances, suggesting that it is the inability to develop control over psychosocially aversive situations that is primarily responsible for psychophysiologic disorders.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D005639:Frustration; D006801:Humans; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology