Toward an integrative perspective of personalised stress regulation: insights from perceptual control theory

Stress regulation is commonly conceptualised as behavioural responses to external stressors, often overlooking the perceptual processes shaping individual experience. This framing obscures the dynamic, hierarchical, and personally meaningful nature of regulation. In this paper, we introduce a unifying framework grounded in Perceptual Control Theory, proposing that the psychophysiology of stress is best understood as the control of perception rather than behaviour. Stress arises from a mismatch between current perceptions and internally held reference values - the desired states individuals strive to maintain. Within a hierarchical control system, these values are dynamically modified through experience. We argue that goal conflict - where simultaneous reference values cannot be satisfied, leading to persistent error - is the primary source of acute and chronic stress. Reorganisation, an adaptive process of structural change within the hierarchy, serves as the mechanism for resolving such conflict by revising reference values or creating new control systems. This perspective explains individual differences by focusing on controlled perceptions rather than standardised coping strategies. By formalising stress regulation as perceptual control, this approach bridges biological, psychological, and social dimensions. It offers a foundation for personalised interventions that target what individuals value most, rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions.