What are the two aspects of psychological stress?

• A. Event or stimulus that causes the stress and the individual's response
• B. Duration and intensity
• C. Age and gender
• D. Parent reaction

Answer: (A)

Stress comes from two interacting parts: what starts the stress and how the person responds to it. The trigger is the event or stimulus that sets the stress into motion—the stressor. The other part is the individual's response to that trigger, which includes their thoughts about the threat, feelings of fear or worry, physiological arousal, and the coping actions they choose. In children, this often shows up as a hospital procedure (the stressor) and the child’s reaction—anxiety, crying, or using coping strategies. Recognizing these two aspects helps us understand why stress varies from one person to another: the same event can be experienced very differently depending on how it’s appraised and managed.