A proposed framework for the analysis of stress in the human organism

Stress, the bugaboo of modern life, comes from many different sources and affects us all in one way or another. Viewing human functioning as a problem-solving phenomenon, stress is here explained in terms of tension that results from the organism's inability to master presenting problems and its consequent need to devote excess energy and resources to maintenance activities. This encompassing theoretical scheme proposes to reduce the conceptual barriers between various biochemical, physical, psychological, and sociocultural models of stress.