DynaDlics of Stress Physiological, Psychological, and Social Perspectives The Plenum Series on Stress and Coping Series Editor: Donald Meichenbaum, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Editorial Board: Bruce P. Dohrenwend, Columbia University Marianne Frankenhaeuser, University of Stockholm Norman Garmezy, University of Minnesota Mardi J. Horowitz, University of California Medical School, San Francisco Richard S. Lazarus, University of California, Berkeley Michael Rutter, University of London Dennis C. Turk, University of Pittsburgh Camille Wortman, University of Michigan COPING WITH LIFE CRISES An Integrated Approach Edited by Rudolf H. Moos DYNAMICS OF STRESS Physiological, Psychological, and Social Perspectives Edited by Mortimer H. Appley and Richard Trumbull Forthcoming COPING WITH NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives Edited by C. R. Snyder and Carol E. Ford A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher. Dynamics of Stress Physiological, Psychological, and Social Perspectives Edited by MORTIMER H. APPLEY Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts and RICHARD TRUMBULL Former Research Director, Office of Naval Research Washington, D. C. Plenum Press • New York and London Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Dynamics of stress. (The Plenum series on stress and coping) Consists of updated papers presented at the Conference on Psychological Stress Theory, held Apr. 2-6, 1984 in Luxembourg and sponsored by Clark University and the Government of Luxembourg. 1. Stress (Psychology)-Congresses. 2. Stress (Physiology)-Congresses. 3. Stress (Psychology) - Social aspects - Congresses. I. Appley, Mortimer H. (Mortimer Herbert) II. Trumbull, Richard III. Conference on Psychological Stress Theory (1984: Luxembourg, Luxembourg) IV. Clark University (Worcester, Mass.) V. Luxem bourg. VI. Series. [DNLM: 1. Stress, Psychological-congresses. WM 172 D997] BF575.S75D96 1986 155.9 86-25175 ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5124-5 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5122-1 DOl: 10.1007.978-1-4684-5122-1 © 1986 Plenum Press, New York A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1986 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written pemlission from the Publisher To Henry J. Leir, whose generous support made the Clark-Luxembourg conference series possible Contributors Bernice Andrews, Department of Social Policy and Social Science, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London, London, England Mortimer H. Appley, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Clark University, Worcester, Massachu setts Shlomo Breznitz, Roy D. Wolf Center for Study of Psychological Stress, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel George W. Brown, Department of Social Policy and Social Science, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London, London, England Laura M. Davidson, Medical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland Bruce P. Dohrenwend, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Social Psychiatry Research Unit, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York Susan Folkman, Stress and Coping Project, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California Marianne Frankenhaeuser, Psychology Division, Department of Psy chiatry and Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden vii viii CONTRIBUTORS Michael Frese, Institut fUr Psychologie, Universitat Munchen, Munchen, Federal Republic of Germany Giselher Guttmann, Psychologisches Institut, Universitat Wien, Wien, Austria Heinz W. Krohne, Psychologisches Institut, Johannes-Gutenberg Univ ersitat, Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany Lothar Laux, Lehrstuhl Personlichkeitspsychologie, Universitat Bam berg, Bamberg, Federal Republic of Germany Richard S. Lazarus, Stress and Coping Project, Department of Psy chology, University of California, Berkeley, California Klaus R. Scherer, Section de Psychologie, Universite de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland, and Justus Liebig Universitat, Giessen, Federal Republic of Germany Klaus Scheuch, Institut fur Arbeitshygiene, Medizinische Akademie "Carl Gustav Carus," Dresden, German Democratic Republic Wolfgang SchonpfIug, Institut fUr Psychologie, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berli. Federal Republic of Germany Jerome E. Singer, Medical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland Richard Trumbull, Former Research Director, Office of Naval Research, Washington, D.C., and 4708N. Chelsea Lane, Bethesda, Maryland Preface It was our privilege, some twenty years ago, to assemble a group of Canadian and American investigators to examine the status of research in the then newly burgeoning field of psychological stress (Appley & Trumbull, 1967). As noted, in Chapter 1 of the present volume, there has been rapid development of the area since then. The conference on which the current volume is based was designed to do three things: 1. to further update the field, 2. to bring European and other perspectives to the subject, and 3. to focus on the status of theory of stress. We believe the reader will agree that all three objectives were accom plished, though in so vast and active a field, one can never be totally satisfied. The authors included in this volume are among the leading inves tigators in the field. They represent active research centers and programs in Austria, East and West Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Sweden, and the United States. Their chapters make contributions to stress theory and methodology, inform us meaningfully of the perspectives of the various research programs they represent, and provide, collectively, a description of the dynamics of the stress process as currently emerging. Early versions of most of the chapters that compose this volume were presented and discussed at an invitational Conference on Psycho logical Stress Theory, held in Luxembourg during the week of April 2-6, 1984. The Conference was the tenth in a series, on various subjects, hosted by the Institut Pedagogique at its facilities in Walferdange, Lux embourg, under joint sponsorship of Clark University and the Govern ment of Luxembourg. ix x PREFACE Costs of the Clark-Luxembourg Conferences, and of editing the several volumes that have resulted from them, were underwritten by several grants from Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Leir to Clark University. We are deeply grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Leir for the encouragement of the use of Luxembourg as a meeting place for international scholars and for their generous support of Clark University in its partnership in the Lux embourg conference programs. One of us (MHA) is particularly indebted further to the Leirs for their personal friendship of many years and for their support of his transition from academic administration back to full-time involvement in scholarly work. A postpresidential sabbatical leave from Clark Uni versity, spent as Visiting Scholar in Psychology at Harvard University, was likewise extremely valuable in this regard. We are grateful to the distinguished group of investigators who interrupted busy schedules to join us for a most provocative week of discussions, and for the care with which they (and their collaborators) undertook revisions and improvements in their papers, based on feed back from both formal and informal dialogue among the conference participants and with the editors. Dr. Frankenhaeuser, originally scheduled to be with us in Luxem bourg, was unable to attend at the last minute, but graciously submitted her paper for inclusion in this volume, to which it makes a fine contri bution. Drs. Lazarus and Folkman combined efforts, subsequent to the Conference, to provide a single joint paper in place of the two they presented in Luxembourg: and Drs. Brown and Singer both added col laborators to help revise and extend their respective conference presen tations. Our thanks are extended to Dr. Gaston Schaber and his staff at the Institut Pedagogique for the Conference support arrangements and to Maripol and Veronique Schaber for their gracious hospitality. We es pecially appreciated the assistance, during and after the conference, of Mariann HUlldahl Appley, as hostess, translator, and critic-in-residence. We are pleased that this volume is appearing in the new Plenum Series on Stress and Coping, and look forward to subsequent volumes to contribute further clarification of issues in this vital field. MORTIMER H. ApPLEY RICHARD TRUMBULL Contents PART I. INTRODCCTION ................................ . CHAPTER I Development of the Stress Concept ............................... 3 MORTIMER H. ApPLEY A;\;D RICHARD TRC:\1BCLL Introduction ............................................... 3 Stress Research in the I960s ................................. 4 The Changing Face of Stress ................................ 7 Individual Susceptibility ..................................... II Current Theories of Stress .................................. 12 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PART II. SOME THEORETICAL APPROACHES 19 CHAPTER 2 A Conceptual Model for the Examination of Stress Dynamics 21 RICHARD TRUMBULL AND MORTIMER H. ApPLEY Introduction ............................................... 21 Parallel Systems ............................................ 22 Physiological System Functioning ............................ 23 Psychological System Functioning ............................ 25 Social System Functioning ................................... 26 xi