Stressor

As stressors (also stress factors ) all internal and external stimuli are referred to, which cause stress, and thereby cause the affected individual, an adjustment reaction. The organism interprets the stimuli acting on it and its implications for the situation and evaluates them either positive or negative.

After a concept of Hans Selye There are two types of stress: negative stress ( distress or also Distress, distress engl. ) And positive stress ( eustress also ).

Distress

Negative stimuli are those that are judged to be unpleasant, threatening or overwhelming. Stress is only interpreted negative if it occurs frequently, and no compensation is physical. Likewise, you may experience negative effects if the person suffering from stress their interpretation of stimuli is no way to address the situation looks ( exam, competition, etc.). In this case, distress can be prevented by the provision of appropriate coping strategies ( coping ).

Distress leads to a greatly increased tension of the body (distribution of certain neurotransmitters and hormones, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline). In the long run, this leads to a decrease in attention and performance. In a long-term effect of distress and lack of coping strategies may lead to a burnout syndrome.

The Greek prefix δύς (dis ) means " miss- bad ".

Eustress

As eustress those stressors are known that affect the body positively. A fundamental stress or arousal potential is essential for the survival of an organism. Positive stress increases awareness and promotes the maximum performance of the body without harming him. In contrast to the distress to eustress effect, even with frequent, long-term positive effect on the occurrence of mental or physical functioning of an organism. Eustress occurs, for example, when a person is motivated to certain benefits or moments of happiness feels.

The Greek prefix εὖ (eu ) means " well, good, right, easy ."

Psychological distress in humans

The psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a scale with 43 ​​events that The Social Readjustment Rating Scale ( SRRS ) to measure the degree of stress can. Negative and positive life events are assigned stress values ​​from 0 to 100. Accordingly, the stress is greater, the more areas of life to the new circumstances need to be adjusted. Further studies support the link between stress and illness.

Stressors in the economy

In business, people are exposed to various stressors. This is particularly clear in the case of large enterprises of retail trade, traditionally the instruments of psychological management control. Here play stressors not only for the employees involved (for example in the areas of work environment, work tasks, social environment, organizational structure and personal condition situation ), but also for the customer (for example, store size, range, merchandise arrangement, customers masses, human behavior, background music, announcements and noise). However, the employee must be protected from ongoing stressors that lead to distress and negative reactions of physiological, cognitive and / or emotional way. Since the short-term impact of excessive stimuli usually resolves quickly after purchase or after leaving the business premises of the customer again, they are typically exposed to a eustress.