Personality, Physique and the Adrenocortical Response to a Psychological Stress

There have been a number of studies attempting to quantify anxiety under stress, using biochemical measures such as plasma Cortisol concentration and urinary catecholamine excretion as concomitants of the emotional response. A limitation of some of this work has been the lack of predictable and adequate stresses studied, which have included disturbing interviews (Bliss et al. , 1956), admission to hospital and anticipation of operation (Mason, 1959), stressful films (Levi, 1965) and hypnotically induced anxiety (Persky et at. , 1959).