Psychology I / Stress and Coping
Practice question · Put in order

Order the stages of Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome, from a stressor's onset onward.

Hints
  1. The immediate burst comes first; depletion comes only after prolonged demand.
  2. Alarm, then Resistance, then Exhaustion - the order Selye described.
Show the answer
  1. A stressor appears and triggers immediate fight-or-flight arousal (Alarm).
  2. The body sustains elevated arousal as it adapts to the ongoing demand (Resistance).
  3. If the stressor persists too long, physiological resources become depleted (Exhaustion).
  4. Vulnerability to illness rises as the body's reserves run out.
Why

The GAS runs Alarm (immediate arousal), Resistance (sustained adaptation), then Exhaustion (resources depleted, illness risk rising). The stages are defined by how long the stressor persists, not by its type.

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