Stress resistance as a factor of adaptation. The concept of stress resistance and psychological conditions for its development

A person’s sensitivity to psychological trauma is determined by the level of his stress resistance. Stress resistance is understood as a set of personality traits that determines a person’s resistance to various types stress. Stress resistance consists of three components: a sense of the importance of one’s existence; feelings of independence; ability to influence one’s own life (openness and interest in changes, treating them not as a threat, but as an opportunity for development). Stress resistance depends on the person himself, on the desire and ability to use certain methods of mental self-regulation.

Speaking about the physiological prerequisites for stress resistance, it should be emphasized that the state of the endocrine system and good physical fitness play a special role. At the same time, there is a predisposition to stress reactions in people characterized by certain emotions: anger, hostility and aggressiveness.

A person’s individual sensitivity to trauma is influenced by the following factors: gender, age, level of intellectual development, current personality structure (presence of such properties as maturity-immaturity, hypersensitivity, dependence, tendency to excessive control, desire to suppress emotions, tendency to act as a victim , the desire to retain the traumatic experience) contributes to an increase in the damaging effect and trauma, i.e. indicates low stress tolerance. The same factor is genetic predisposition - the physiological state at the time of injury, especially with exhaustion, sleep and nutrition disorders. Some nutrients are directly linked to stress. There is a group of food nutrients that mimic the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system - coffee, cola, tea and chocolate, which contain caffeine, nicotine found in tobacco. These substances increase metabolism, provoke anxiety and lead to the release of stress hormones, which increase heart rate and arterial pressure, and also contribute to an enhanced response of the nervous system to stimuli, as a result of which the likelihood of a stress reaction increases.

Stress is also related to vitamins. The release of cartisol (a stress hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex) requires the use of vitamins. Therefore, with chronic stress, a deficiency of vitamins that enter our body with food may occur.

This applies to a greater extent to vitamins B (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin) and vitamin C. A deficiency of these vitamins causes anxiety, depression, insomnia, muscle weakness and stomach upsets. Because these vitamins are used to produce adrenal hormones, their deficiency reduces a person's ability to respond adequately to stress.

In addition, there is information about the connection between individual psychological and personality characteristics and resistance to stressful situations. So, K.L. Cooper and J. Marshall provide the following data:

· extroverts are more adaptive and better oriented in life than introverts;

· “rigid” and “mobile” people differ in their assessment of stressful situations: the former react more to surprises at work emanating from management and experience dependence on other people, while the latter, being more open to the influence of other people, are easily overloaded;

· those who are achievement-oriented show higher independence and involvement in work than those who are security-oriented.

Prerequisites for low stress tolerance are anxiety, hypersensitivity, rigidity, and lack of social skills. Manifestations that arise against the background of stress (uncertainty, unproductivity) cause even deeper discomfort: increased tension, avoidance, increased sensitivity to criticism, fruitless efforts, isolation.

Biological need for activity

Inactive muscles, brain and other organs lose their functionality. To “stay in shape” you need to exercise your mind and body. In addition, inactivity closes all paths to the realization of the innate desire to create and create. This leads to nervous tension and a feeling of insecurity due to the aimlessness of existence. Whether an activity is called exhausting work or an entertaining game depends on our attitude towards it. There is no harm in working hard for what you really want. But make sure that it is you who are striving for this, and not just your society, parents, teachers or neighbors, and that you are able to emerge victorious.

In most cases, switching from one activity to another is best vacation than complete rest.

Nothing is more exhausting than inactivity, the lack of stimuli and obstacles to overcome. And nothing helps a patient more than the healing stress of distraction.

Signs of stress:

1. Inability to concentrate on anything.

2. Too frequent mistakes in work.

3. Memory impairment.

4. Feeling tired too often.

5. Very fast speech.

6. Quite frequent pain (head, back, stomach area).

7. Increased excitability.

8. Work doesn’t bring the same joy.

9. Loss of sense of humor.

12. Constant feeling of malnutrition.

13. Loss of appetite, generally lost taste for food.

Inability to finish work on time.

Causes of stress:

1. Much more often you have to do not what you would like, but what you have to do.

2. You constantly lack time and don’t have time to do anything.

3. Something or someone is constantly urging you on; you are constantly in a hurry to get somewhere.

4. It begins to seem to you that everyone around you is clamped in the grip of some kind of tension.

5. You constantly want to sleep, you just can’t get enough sleep.

6. You dream too much, especially when you are tired during the day.

9. You don't like almost anything.

10. At home, in your family, at school, at work you have constant conflicts.

11. You constantly feel dissatisfied with life.

12. You get into debt without even knowing how to pay it off.

13. You develop an inferiority complex.

14. You have no one to talk to about your problems, and you don’t really want to.

15. You do not feel respected either at home, or at school, or at work.

Recently, a new criterion for evaluating employees has appeared in our society, such as the individual’s resistance to stress. Employers began to attach great importance to this criterion. Without defining stress problems, it is impossible to define the essence of the concept. The level of stress resistance is determined by stress factors.

Stress tolerance is important for modern man

Stress as a risk factor

The cause of psychosomatic diseases is stress. The entire population, regardless of gender differences, age, specialty fall into the risk group. A long stay in this state threatens these unpleasant consequences of stress, many serious diseases, ranging from heart disease to work digestive tract, and also leads to a decrease in self-esteem.

The body regards many situations that happen to us every day as potentially dangerous. A personal reaction and a factor that adversely affects our body (which is not always adequate to the situation) trigger mechanisms that provoke the occurrence of stress symptoms.

The body reacts to the state of frustration in the same way in all people. This is due to the fact that the mechanism that “triggers” stress is the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine, which are part of hormonal levels and giving the so-called adrenaline effect. Let's divide stress into three stages.

Alarm stage	Stage of resistance (resistance)	Exhaustion stage
This stage is aimed at preparing for defense or flight. The process of its creation is influenced by adrenal hormones (adrenaline and norepinephrine), the immune and digestive systems. In this phase, the body's resistance to disease is impaired. There is a disturbance in appetite, absorption of food and the functions of its elimination. If the reaction occurs quickly and is resolved naturally(flight, fight), these disturbances pass unnoticed by the body. If the state of alarm takes long time without the ability to release adrenaline, or the stress is too strong, the body’s reserves are quickly depleted. Too much stress (injuries, burns) can be fatal.	It happens that the body allows us to quickly adapt to a stressful situation. While in this stage of stress, a person continues to function at normal level. All the body's resources are mobilized, and physiological and psychological processes are not disrupted. Anxiety and excitability are at minimum level or disappear altogether. But we should not forget that our possibilities for adaptation are not unlimited, and with prolonged suggestiveness, the third stage of stress will follow.	This stage is a cry for help. All the body's reserves have already been depleted to the limit and mobilization is impossible. With prolonged exposure to external stimuli, decompensation occurs; in the worst case scenario, death is possible. With a good outcome - a nervous breakdown, deep depression. The dynamics of stress at this stage are already irreversible. Without outside help and a long course of treatment at this stage is no longer possible.

Boy-Girl

Each person has different character traits. Some of them are universal, and some are traditionally assigned to purely male or female psychology. Some distinctive features of stress-resistant behavior have evolutionary-genetic or purely physiological prerequisites. We must not lose sight of the specific forms of stress, such as behavioral, intellectual, emotional and physiological. It is also impossible to be indifferent to gender differences in the manifestation of stress.

Scientists have proven that gender differences are triggered in stressful situations, which is why men and women behave differently. If a man is guided by the “fight or flight” principle, then a woman will be guided by the “take care and make friends” principle. The explanation for this is the fact that in dangerous situations, men produce the hormones norepinephrine and cortisol (helping the body to recover), and women produce endorphins and oxytocin, which reduce the pain threshold and make a person open and friendly.

Another assumption on the topic of gender differences was associated with the SRY gene (inherent only in men, responsible for the development of a male embryo). The release of norepinephrine into the body in humans depends on this gene. It helps increase blood pressure and activation motor function. Due to the absence of this gene in women, they give preference to verbal methods.

Do not forget that there are also androgens - people distinguished by the presence of both feminine and masculine character traits. These people have the highest resistance to stress.

To understand this issue as much as possible, let’s find out what stress resistance is. In psychology, there is a term that describes this phenomenon as “personal qualities that help a person resist psychological stress without harmful consequences for the health of his psyche and those around him, the so-called psychological resistance to stress.”

Stress groups

There is an opinion that people with an already formed psyche should be able to withstand stressful situations and find the strength to make informed, rational decisions. But there is one thing: the same stress factors have different effects on different people. For example, a fire in a neighboring apartment may cause less stress than a breakdown of an electric kettle.

We conclude that being invulnerable to stress means it’s normal to react to what’s happening, to mobilize your psyche if necessary and to think sensibly.

To have this opportunity, you need to work hard, and not just physically. The main thing is to aim at adequate goals and do everything to achieve them. You need to put laziness aside and not look for excuses. Alas, doing something against your will is also stressful.

People are divided into 4 groups of stress tolerance based on the definition of approaches to getting out of stress:
Stress-resistant. These are the ones who are most exposed to stress. The trap for such people is the inability to adapt to circumstances, lack of flexibility in changing behavior.
Stress trained. They tolerate changes calmly, but only if these changes have a minimal impact on the current state of affairs. Only gradual changes will do for them. Such people should not be put under pressure, otherwise it will cause depression or a nervous breakdown, which will reduce their effectiveness in any situation. Stress-inhibitory. Such people are principled in their life positions
, but are more loyal to external changes. This type of person would rather prefer rapid change than gradual transformation. Only a series of troubles can knock such people out of their usual rut, because of which they lose their passion and begin to break down over any little things. At such moments, it is better not to fall under the “hot hand”.

Stress-resistant. Representatives of this type have a psyche that is practically not susceptible to the destructive influences of the external environment.

Resistance, the main types of personal resistance to stress.

Stress and stress resistance can be considered as a personality trait consisting of several parts. These include:
Psychophysiological component, type of nervous system.
Emotional experience of an individual acquired in stressful situations.
Motivational component of overcoming.
Volitional self-regulation.
The individual's readiness to perform various tasks.

Forecasting ability.

Psychological mechanisms of stress resistance can also be associated with the concept of resilience, which refers to a person’s system of beliefs about the world and himself. There are three components:
involvement;
control;

Involvement makes it possible to find the most accessible way out to solve a problem. Control helps influence the outcome through clear confidence in the positive outcome of the enterprise. The idea of risk implies the belief that it does not matter whether the result is positive or negative, the main thing is the actions.

Developing resilience and stability is extremely important. This includes resources with which you can push yourself to take care of your health: start playing sports or exercise, lose weight, quit bad habits.

All this will reduce tension and prevent the body’s condition from becoming painful. Stress resistance factors:

early childhood experience and body characteristics;
personal attitudes and values of a person;
influence of social environment;
ability to predict and analyze past experience;
behavioral factor.

Exercising will help you develop stress resistance

Many people are mistaken in assigning the label of stress resistance to a person, hallmark which is the ability to control your negative emotions in public. He can experience a storm of various emotions without showing them due to his upbringing, natural tact, or simply being a good actor. You can’t keep everything to yourself, this will only aggravate the situation, destroying you from the inside. Emotions must be given vent, but only in a redirected form. And then you will have composure and common sense.

Exercises have been developed to train stress resistance.

Know yourself. First you need to understand yourself, find resources for stress resistance, tests that can be used will help you with this. large quantities found on the Internet, they will suggest various kinds of cognitive techniques.
Sleep is the best medicine. You can't neglect sleep. Only during sleep can the body relax both physically and mentally. But lack of sleep can only worsen the condition.
With hobbies in life. Find something for your soul that will give you a feeling of satisfaction, help relieve stress and give vent to emotions.
Phoenix power. Just as a phoenix restores itself from the ashes, so you need to learn through willpower to restore your peace of mind.
Specialists are people too. It’s very good to always solve your problems alone, but sometimes you know better from the outside. A professional will always be able to give good advice, and it is always easier to carry the burden together, so do not neglect psychiatrists, turn to them for help, sometimes you simply cannot cope on your own.
Own methodology. You can find any information on the Internet. Don’t be lazy, study materials on similar problems. This will help you figure out which volitional regulation is right for you and successfully use the individual technique.
Proper nutrition: this will protect your health, boost your immunity and reduce your exposure to stress.
Get more rest. The weekend was created for a reason. You definitely need to rest. If there is no possibility of proper rest, try to use any free periods of time for this. Listen to music in transport, read, if you can get to the right place, choose walking, light jogging.
Accumulation system. This system is only good for discount cards. An excess of negativity in the body can then result in a serious breakdown. Emotions need to be given an outlet, there are many options left, from a banal jog to a punching bag or sparring in the gym. If this is not possible, just tear the paper into small pieces or break a pencil.
“Relax don’t do it...” - these are the lines of a popular song. Relaxation has never been superfluous, do not neglect it. Any technique from massage to aromatherapy is suitable here. Believe me, they will only benefit you.
Physical exercise. The influence of physical education will not only help keep the body in good shape, but will also have a positive effect on the nervous system and provide an outlet for accumulated emotions. But there is a small nuance here. When performing exercises, try to give the body a slight overload. For example, having done 20 squats. If you feel that it is already difficult to do further, overpower yourself and do 22. You will learn self-control and get mental pleasure.
Infinity sign. If you constantly think about problems, it won’t make it any easier. With each scroll you will escalate the situation within yourself more and more. If there is no short-term solution to a problem, write it down in a notebook and hide it.
Our Tanya is crying loudly. It is not at all necessary to do this in front of witnesses, it is not even advisable, but when you are alone with yourself, give free rein to your tears. Doctors believe that people who release emotions through tears are less likely to have heart attacks.
On a wave of positivity. In any situation, look positive sides. This will make your life much easier and create good conditions resistance to stress.
Bridget Jones's Diary. It was not for nothing that the heroine of the famous film kept a diary. Get yourself such a “paper friend” by writing down what is happening, then it will be easier to analyze the situation, figure out what the mistakes were and try not to make them again. The main thing is to be as truthful and frank as possible. This is not a book, there is no need to embellish the information.
Inside out. We often condemn people's actions and criticize their behavior. To better understand the motives of actions and the emotions experienced, you can put yourself in the shoes of others. Perhaps you are mistaken in exuding negativity towards them.
Secret depths. Do some careful work on yourself, there are no perfect people. Find those qualities in yourself that prevent you from living and work hard to overcome them. Realize yourself as a full-fledged person; your own importance always gives you confidence.

Methods for neutralizing stress

Conclusion

Stress resistance is required quality, but it is often confused with cruelty and insensitivity. This is a misconception, and if we adhere to it, we will stop discovering the beautiful, kind emotions that are associated with solving problems.

The most important quality of fire rescuers is resistance to stress.

Stress resistance is the ability to withstand strong negative emotional influences that cause high mental tension, since the activities of a leader take place under conditions of significant psychological stress. Stress in the work of fire rescuers is inevitable.

The formation of stress resistance is the key to people’s mental health and an indispensable condition for social stability and predictability of processes occurring in society. Increasing stress, including mental stress, on the nervous system and psyche of modern man leads to the formation of emotional stress, which is one of the main factors of development various diseases. Currently, concern for the preservation of mental health and the formation of stress resistance of a modern person is coming to the fore. The path to mental health is the path to an integral personality, not torn from within by conflicts of motives, doubts, and self-doubt. On this path, it is important to learn the characteristics of your psyche, which will allow you not only to prevent the occurrence of diseases, improve your health, but also to improve yourself and your interaction with outside world.

The main individual characteristic of stress content is adaptation (stress resistance). According to Yu.A. Alexandrovsky, V.I. Lebedeva and others - this is a barrier to mental adaptation. E.V. Mazurkevich and M.I. Maryin considers human self-regulation to be the basis of stress resistance, which consists of certain links and is stylistically diverse.

Stress resistance is identified with emotional stability and the ability to control emotions; ability to bear heavy loads and successfully solve problems in extreme situations; the ability to overcome a state of emotional arousal when performing complex activities; a property of temperament that allows one to reliably perform target tasks of activity through the optimal use of reserves of neuropsychic emotional energy; a stable focus of emotional experiences in their content towards a positive solution to upcoming tasks; stable predominance of positive emotions; an integrative property of a person, characterized by such an interaction of emotional, volitional, intellectual and motivational components of a person’s mental activity that ensure optimal successful achievement of the goal of activity in a complex emotional environment.

There are 4 types of personality resistance to stress:

Stress-resistant individuals;

Stress-inhibited individuals;

Stress-resistant individuals.

Those who are stress-resistant are characterized by a tendency to change their behavior and adapt to the outside world. Their attitudes and concepts are unshakable. Therefore, any unfavorable external event or even a hint of its possibility in the future is stressful for them. In the most stressful, critical situation, people of stress-unresistant types are prone to increased emotionality, extremely excitable and unbalanced. You should not expect quick and constructive decisions from them in tense moments.

Stress-trained people are ready for changes, but not global and not instantaneous ones. They try to transform their lives gradually, effortlessly, painlessly, and when this is impossible for objective reasons, they become irritable or depressed. However, as stressful situations of roughly similar content are repeated, “stress-trained” people get used to it and begin to react to stress more calmly. Mature, experienced representatives of these types are quite capable of being leaders in extreme situations.

People with stress inhibition are distinguished by the rigidity of their life principles and worldviews, but they treat sudden external changes quite calmly. They are fundamentally not ready to change gradually, but they can make a quick and one-time change in one or another area of their life, for example, suddenly changing jobs. People with types of this group are capable of being leaders during “spot” changes, after which their new status quo will immediately be fixed. If stress follows one after another, and especially if it is of a sluggish nature, they gradually lose their presence of mind and control over their emotions.

Those who are stress-resistant are ready to relatively calmly accept any changes, no matter what their nature - long-term or immediate - they may be. On the contrary, everything stable and predetermined is alien to them and causes irony due to the general instability so acutely felt by representatives of the types of this group. They usually themselves begin the processes of transformations or even revolutions, lead them, and at the same time acute moment They can step aside because, with all their love for change, they are not at all enthusiastic about the possibility of causing damage to themselves. They know how to act effectively in unstable, crisis conditions, but are poorly suited to work in organizations with established traditions. Stress for them is only the most difficult events concerning themselves or loved ones. Often those who are “stress-resistant” choose professions that involve risk and constant exposure to extreme situations.

To understand the term “stress resistance” itself, let us turn to some works of scientists, which present the basic definitions this concept. So, V.D. Shadrikov defines emotional stability, on the one hand, as immunity to emotiogenic factors that have a negative impact on the mental state of the individual, and on the other, as the ability to control and restrain emerging asthenic emotions, thereby ensuring the successful implementation of necessary actions, the ability of a person to endure great physical and mental load, successfully solve problems in extreme situations.

Some psychologists associate stress resistance with a property of temperament. So, L.V. Kulikov understands emotional stability as a property of temperament that allows one to reliably perform the target tasks of an activity through the optimal use of reserves of neuropsychic emotional energy. S.N. Knyazev defines emotional stability as the relative stability of the optimal level of intensity of emotional reactions, as well as the stability of the qualitative characteristics of emotional states, i.e. a stable focus of emotional experiences in their content towards a positive solution to upcoming tasks.

Some authors consider stress resistance as one of the substructures of a person’s readiness to act in stressful situations. They believe that among the factors on which the level and success of specialists’ activities in tense situations depends, readiness for them is of particular importance. It promotes the rapid and correct use of knowledge, experience, personal qualities, maintaining self-control and restructuring activities when unforeseen obstacles arise. These researchers include among the external and internal conditions that determine readiness: the content of the tasks, their difficulty, novelty; activity environment, motivation, assessment of the likelihood of achieving the goal, self-esteem, neuropsychic state and, in addition, emotional resistance to a stressful situation. The most complete definition of stress resistance is given by P.B. Zilberman is an integrative personality property, characterized by the interaction of emotional, volitional, intellectual and motivational components of a person’s mental activity, which ensure optimal successful achievement of the goal of activity in a complex emotional environment.

K.S. Torshina considers stress resistance as a personality quality consisting of a combination of the following components:

a) psychophysiological (type, properties of the nervous system);

b) motivational. The strength of motives determines to a large extent emotional stability. The same person can detect different degrees of it depending on what motives prompt him to be active. By changing motivation, you can increase (or decrease) emotional stability;

c) the emotional experience of the individual accumulated in the process of overcoming negative influences extreme situations;

d) volitional, which is expressed in conscious self-regulation of actions, bringing them into line with the requirements of the situation;

e) professional preparedness, awareness and readiness of the individual to perform certain tasks;

f) intellectual - assessing the requirements of the situation, forecasting its possible changes, making decisions on courses of action.

Stress resistance as an adaptation factor

Adaptation is a dynamic process through which the mobile systems of living organisms, despite the variability of conditions, maintain the stability necessary for the existence, development and procreation. It is the adaptation mechanism, developed as a result of long-term evolution, that ensures the ability of an organism to exist in constantly changing environmental conditions.

Thanks to the adaptation process, homeostasis is maintained when the body interacts with the outside world. In this regard, adaptation processes include not only optimizing the functioning of the body, but also maintaining balance in the “organism-environment” system. The adaptation process is implemented whenever significant changes occur in the “organism-environment” system, and ensures the formation of a new homeostatic state, which allows achieving maximum efficiency of physiological functions and behavioral reactions. Since the organism and the environment are not in static, but in dynamic equilibrium, their relationships are constantly changing, and therefore, the process of adaptation must also be constantly carried out.

The above applies equally to animals and humans. However, a significant difference between humans is that mental adaptation plays a decisive role in the process of maintaining adequate relationships in the “individual-environment” system, during which all parameters of the system can change.

Mental adaptation is considered as a result of the activity of an integral self-governing system (at the level of “operational rest”), while emphasizing its systemic organization. But with this consideration, the picture remains incomplete. It is necessary to include the concept of need in the formulation. The maximum possible satisfaction of current needs is therefore an important criterion for the effectiveness of the adaptation process. Consequently, mental adaptation can be defined as the process of establishing an optimal match between the individual and the environment during the implementation of human activity, which (the process) allows the individual to satisfy current needs and realize significant goals associated with them, while ensuring at the same time compliance with the maximum activity of a person, his behavior, environmental requirements.

Mental adaptation is a continuous process, which, along with mental adaptation itself (that is, maintaining mental homeostasis), includes two more aspects: a). optimizing the individual's ongoing exposure to the environment; b). establishing an adequate correspondence between mental and physiological characteristics.

The study of adaptation processes is closely related to the concept of emotional tension and stress. This served as the basis for defining stress as a nonspecific reaction of the body to the demands placed on it, and considering it as a general adaptation syndrome.

The famous foreign psychologist Hans Selye, the founder of the Western doctrine of stress and nervous disorders, identified the following stages of stress as a process:

1). immediate reaction to the impact (alarm stage);

2). the most effective adaptation (resistance stage);

3). disruption of the adaptation process (exhaustion stage).

In a broad sense, these stages are characteristic of any adaptation process.

One of the stress factors is emotional tension, which is physiologically expressed in changes in the human endocrine system. For example, during experimental studies in patient clinics, it was found that people who are constantly under nervous tension have a more difficult time suffering from viral infections. In such cases, the help of a qualified psychologist is necessary.

Main features of mental stress:

1) stress is a state of the body, its occurrence involves interaction between the body and the environment;

2) stress is a more intense state than the usual motivational one; it requires the perception of threat to occur;

3) stress phenomena occur when the normal adaptive reaction is insufficient.

Since stress arose mainly from the perception of a threat, its occurrence in a certain situation can arise for subjective reasons related to the characteristics of a given individual.

In general, since individuals are not alike, a lot depends on the personality factor. For example, in the “person-environment” system, the level of emotional tension increases as the differences between the conditions in which the subject’s mechanisms are formed and the newly created ones increase. Thus, certain conditions cause emotional stress not because of their absolute rigidity, but as a result of the inconsistency of the individual’s emotional mechanism with these conditions.

With any imbalance in the “person-environment”, the insufficiency of the individual’s mental or physical resources to meet current needs or the mismatch of the system of needs itself is a source of anxiety. Anxiety, referred to as

Feeling of vague threat;

A feeling of diffuse apprehension and anxious anticipation;

Uncertain anxiety is the most powerful mechanism of mental stress. This follows from the already mentioned feeling of threat, which is the central element of anxiety and determines its biological significance as a signal of trouble and danger.

Anxiety can play a protective and motivational role comparable to the role of pain. An increase in behavioral activity, a change in the nature of behavior, or the activation of intrapsychic adaptation mechanisms are associated with the occurrence of anxiety. But anxiety can not only stimulate activity, but also contribute to the destruction of insufficiently adaptive behavioral stereotypes and their replacement with more adequate forms of behavior.

Unlike pain, anxiety is a signal of danger that has not yet been realized. Prediction of this situation is probabilistic in nature, and ultimately depends on the characteristics of the individual. In this case, the personal factor often plays a decisive role, and in this case the intensity of anxiety reflects the individual characteristics of the subject rather than the real significance of the threat.

Anxiety, which is inadequate in intensity and duration to the situation, interferes with the formation of adaptive behavior, leads to a violation of behavioral integration and general disorganization of the human psyche. Thus, anxiety underlies any change mental state and behavior caused by mental stress.

Professor Berezin identified an alarming series that represents an essential element of the process of mental adaptation:

1) a feeling of internal tension - does not have a pronounced shade of threat, serves only as a signal of its approach, creating painful mental discomfort;

2) hyperesthetic reactions - anxiety increases, previously neutral stimuli acquire a negative connotation, irritability increases;

3) anxiety itself is the central element of the series under consideration. Manifests itself as a feeling of vague threat. A characteristic feature: the inability to determine the nature of the threat and predict the time of its occurrence. Often there is inadequate logical processing, as a result of which, due to a lack of facts, an incorrect conclusion is issued;

4) fear - anxiety specific to a specific object. Although the objects with which anxiety is associated may not be its cause, the subject has the idea that anxiety can be eliminated by certain actions;

5) a feeling of the inevitability of an impending catastrophe - an increase in the intensity of anxiety disorders leads the subject to the idea of the impossibility of preventing an upcoming event;

6) anxiety-fearful arousal - disorganization caused by anxiety reaches a maximum, and the possibility of purposeful activity disappears.

With a paroxysmal increase in anxiety, all of these phenomena can be observed during one paroxysm, while in other cases their change occurs gradually.

By the way, the already mentioned Selye put forward a very interesting hypothesis that aging is the result of all the stress to which the body has been subjected during its life. It corresponds to the "wasting phase" of the general adaptation syndrome, which in some ways is an accelerated version of normal aging. Any stress, especially caused by fruitless efforts, leaves behind irreversible chemical changes; their accumulation causes signs of aging in tissues. Particularly severe consequences are caused by damage to brain and nerve cells. But successful work, no matter what it is, leaves fewer consequences of aging, therefore, says Selye, you can live long and happily if you choose a job that suits you and cope with it successfully.

Increased anxiety leads to an increase in the intensity of the action of two interrelated adaptation mechanisms, which are listed below:

1) allopsychic mechanism - acts when a modification of behavioral activity occurs. Method of action: changing the situation or leaving it.

2) intrapsychic mechanism - ensures the reduction of anxiety due to the reorientation of the personality.

There are several types of defenses that are used by the intrapsychic mechanism of mental adaptation:

1) an obstacle to awareness of factors causing anxiety;

2) fixation of anxiety on certain stimuli;

3) reduction in the level of motivation, i.e. devaluation of initial needs;

4) conceptualization.

Anxiety, despite the abundance of different semantic formulations, is a single phenomenon and serves as an obligatory mechanism of emotional stress. Occurring with any imbalance in the “human-environment” system, it activates adaptation mechanisms, and at the same time, with significant intensity, underlies the development of adaptation disorders. An increase in the level of anxiety causes the activation or strengthening of the mechanisms of intrapsychic adaptation. These mechanisms can contribute to effective mental adaptation, providing a reduction in anxiety, and in case of their inadequacy, they are reflected in the type of adaptation disorders, which correspond to the nature of the borderline psychopathological phenomena that are formed in this case.

The organization of emotional stress involves difficulty in realizing motivation, blocking motivated behavior, i.e. frustration. The totality of frustration, anxiety, as well as their relationship with allopsychic and intrapsychic adaptations constitutes the main body of stress.

The effectiveness of mental adaptation directly depends on the organization of microsocial interaction. At conflict situations in the family or work sphere, difficulties in building informal communication, violations of mechanical adaptation were noted much more often than with effective social interaction. Also directly related to adaptation is the analysis of factors in a certain environment or environment. The assessment of the personal qualities of others as an attractive factor in the vast majority of cases was combined with effective mental adaptation, and the assessment of the same qualities as a repulsive factor was associated with its violations.

But it is not only the analysis of environmental factors that determines the level of adaptation and emotional tension. It is also necessary to take into account individual qualities, the state of the immediate environment and the characteristics of the group in which microsocial interaction takes place.

Effective mental adaptation is one of the prerequisites for successful professional activity.

In professional management activities Stressful situations can be created by the dynamism of events, the need to quickly make decisions, mismatch between individual characteristics, rhythm and nature of activity. Factors contributing to emotional stress in these situations may include insufficient information, inconsistency, excessive variety or monotony, assessment of work as exceeding the individual's capabilities in volume or degree of complexity, conflicting or uncertain demands, critical circumstances or risk in decision making.

Important factors that improve mental adaptation in professional groups, are social cohesion, the ability to build interpersonal relationships, the possibility of open communication.

In connection with the above, it becomes obvious that without research into mental adaptation, consideration of any problem of mental inconsistency will be incomplete, and the analysis of the described aspects of the adaptation process seems to be an integral part of human psychology.

Thus, the problem of mental adaptation is an important area scientific research, located at the junction of various branches of knowledge, which are becoming increasingly important in modern conditions. In this regard, the adaptation concept can be considered as one of the promising approaches to the complex study of man.

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….3

The concept of stress resistance in psychological and pedagogical literature………………………………………………………………4

Individual personal factors of stress resistance…….........6

The importance of stress resistance in human life….12

Conclusion……………………………………………………………...14

List of references………………………………………………………..15

Introduction

IN modern society The pace of life is constantly increasing, the state of the environment is deteriorating, and more and more negative factors are appearing that affect the psychological and physical health of a person. In this regard, the question arises of how capable people are of resisting these factors, and what personality characteristics are necessary for this. Today, within the framework of this problem, more and more attention is being paid to such a personality trait as stress resistance, which, according to many scientists, is an integral mechanism of personal security, ensuring its normal functioning in society.

The problem of stress resistance as a mechanism of personal security is presented in the works of domestic and foreign psychologists: B.B. Velichko, B.Kh. Vardanyan, A.A. Baranova, V.E. Milman, L.M. Mitina, R. Lazuras, G. Thome, I.M. Feinberg, P.B. Zilberman, who note the relevance and significance of this problem.

The purpose of our work is to study stress resistance as a mechanism of personal security.

In accordance with the goal, we set the following tasks:

1. Consider the concept of stress resistance in psychological and pedagogical literature;

2. Analyze individual personal factors of stress resistance;

3. Consider the importance of stress resistance of an individual in human life.

The concept of stress resistance in psychological and pedagogical literature

Currently, in the psychological and pedagogical literature there are several approaches to defining the concept of stress resistance. Let's look at some of them.

One of the approaches is described by B. Kh. Vardanyan. The author defines stress resistance as a special interaction of all components of mental activity that contribute to the successful performance of an activity: “Stress resistance can be defined as a personality trait that ensures a harmonious relationship between all components of mental activity in an emotiogenic situation and thereby contributes to the successful performance of an activity.”

Also, an analysis of the concept of stress resistance is given by P.B. Zilberman, who points out that the lack of sustainability may be an inappropriate phenomenon that characterizes the lack of adequate reflection of the changed situation. P.B. Zilberman draws attention to the fact that the lack of stress resistance may indicate insufficient flexibility and adaptability. He proposes the concept of stress resistance as “...an integrative personality property, which is characterized by such an interaction of all components of an individual’s mental activity that ensures optimally successful achievement of the goal of activity in a complex emotive environment.”

In his works, the concept of stress resistance is also analyzed by S.V. Subbotin. By stress resistance he understands an individual psychological feature, which consists in a specific relationship between the multi-level properties of integral individuality, which ensures constancy within the biological and psychological system of the body and leads to the best interaction of the subject with environment in various conditions of life and activity.

Thus, the term stress resistance currently does not have an unambiguous interpretation; there are several approaches to defining stress resistance, but most authors point out that stress resistance is a characteristic of the individual and has a direct impact on human activity and its successful implementation, as well as the body’s maintenance functions. person in various situations, including complex and stressful ones.

Individual personal factors of stress resistance

Most scientists consider temperament, anxiety, motivation, personality attitudes, gender, individual style of activity, and styles of coping behavior to be the main individual factors of stress resistance.

Let's take a closer look at the listed factors.

Temperament

As V.S. Merlin notes, temperament reflects certain mental properties, such as sensitivity, emotional excitability, level of activity, reactivity, as well as the ratio of the latter, rate of reactions, degree of rigidity or plasticity, extroversion-introversion.

Psychologists note that the listed properties of temperament directly influence an individual’s resistance to stress. Thus, A.V. Makhnach and Yu.V. Bushov define several temperamental properties that influence the course of stress: extraversion, rigidity, impulsivity, the type of direction of reactions in frustrating situations.

Anxiety

An equally important indicator of a person’s resistance to stress, according to many scientists (A.V. Makhnach and others), is such a personality trait as anxiety. As A.V. Makhnach points out, anxiety characterizes a person’s system of relationships. It is usually associated with such neurodynamic and temperamental properties as a weak nervous system, imbalance of nervous processes, sensitivity and emotional excitability.

THEM. Feingerberg notes that for highly anxious people, performing activities under stress causes great neuropsychic stress, the cause of which is their excessive demands on themselves. As a result of this, the motive of the activity shifts and the personality, instead of focusing on solving the problem, concentrates on the success of the activity, increasing the significance of the mistakes made and responsibility for them.

Gender

The next factor characterizing a person’s resistance to stress is gender. A significant number of scientists studying human susceptibility to stress in the context of a gender approach note greater resistance to stress factors of medium intensity and long-acting representatives of the female half of humanity.

At the same time, D. Greenberg emphasizes that their better tolerance to stress is due to the biochemical and physiological specificity of the feminine principle, which in the process of evolution is called upon to play a major role in ensuring the process of heredity, while the biological purpose of men is to introduce variability into the phenotypic component of the human race , and therefore it is more adapted to extreme operating conditions.

Researchers also note that some male and female traits have their own evolutionary, genetic and physiological basis. For example, the level of aggressiveness and dominance (considered as typically male traits) turned out to be determined by the level of concentration of male sex hormones - androgens - in individuals. Other traits are formed in the process of socialization, education and personality development. This is why social stereotypes of masculinity and femininity exist.

From this perspective, psychological sex is radically different from biological sex. However, most scientists emphasize that, despite gender differences, the level of stress resistance of individuals with a predominance of one or another psychological gender principle will also be determined by the following factors: a) the conditions of the unfolding stressful situation; b) requirements of activity (including professional, status and role, etc.); c) resources of the individual as a subject of activity.

Motivation, personality attitudes

It should also be noted that the individual psychological attitudes of a person, which determine his attitude towards other people, and accordingly act as a regulator of interaction with them, include the location of control over ongoing events, otherwise explained as externality-internality, proposed by J. Rotter.

Many researchers of this characteristic, in particular B. Kh. Vardanyan, emphasize that the degree of stress resistance of people with an internal locus of control is higher than that of people with an external locus of control. Externality, the authors point out, complicates the process of overcoming difficulties in professional activity, more often contributes to the development of psychogenic diseases and reduces the likelihood of achieving success in the chosen profession, due to the fact that it is difficult for a person with an external locus of control to take responsibility for what is happening and analyze their mistakes , since the reasons for everything that happens for them lie in external factors.

AlsoB.G. Ananyev pointed out the need to consider the mental essence of a person not only at the personal and individual levels, but also as a subject of basic social activities - “labor, cognition, communication”, with the help of which both the interiorization of external actions and the formation of the inner life of the individual are carried out. B G. Ananyev says that it is through different types activity, in the process of subject-subject (communication) and subject-object (work, cognition) relationships, individuality and personality mainly develop and manifest themselves, which, in turn, is reflected in styles of activity.

Individual style of activity

Individual activity style mainly characterizes a person’s resistance to stress in the context of any activity.

Scientists note that the success of countering stress factors depends on the formation of an individual style of activity, although the effectiveness of the activity itself may be low.

So, E.P. Ilyin gives the following possible combination of individual style of activity and its effectiveness:

The style of activity is chosen according to inclination, but contrary to the requirements of the activity (an option for adapting the activity to the person). Operational efficiency may be low.

The style of activity is chosen based on expediency, that is, taking into account the requirements of the activity and the situation (an option for adapting a person to the activity). The effectiveness of activities may increase, but at first a person experiences tension and discomfort, which affects the slowdown in mastering the profession.

The style is chosen according to inclination and does not contradict the conditions of activity and the requirements of the situation. The degree of activity efficiency is high, the individual is dominated by positive emotions and a sense of satisfaction (the optimal balance between style and activity requirements).

That is, the style of activity and the level of stress resistance of an individual in activity are closely related to the parameters of choosing a profession, requirements for activity, and satisfaction with the activity performed.

Coping styles

An important factor in a person’s resistance to stress, according to A. V. Libina, is the styles of coping behavior, that is, the mechanism by which a person regulates his behavior for optimal interaction with life circumstances or changing them in accordance with his intentions.

To highlight the characteristics of a response depending on the characteristics of a person’s attitude to the situation and his ability to understand it in a behavioral approach, it became necessary to identify response styles.

IN general view, writes A.V. Libina, these styles are divided into protective (a person reacts to what is happening in the form of psychological defense) and constructive (personal activity aimed directly at solving the problem that has arisen).

In a number of studies, the above forms of behavior are called coping, but in later works these styles began to differ and the term “coping” began to refer only to constructive forms, and for the defensive style the word “defence” began to be used (“protection” from something for example, from unpleasant experiences).

Basically, researchers distinguish two already mentioned poles - coping behavior, emphasizing its constructive nature, and defensive behavior, the extreme point of which is the maladaptation of the individual in various aspects of manifestation.

That is, despite significant individual diversity behavior in stressful situations, there are, according to a leading expert in the field of studying coping styles, Richard Lazarus, two global types of response style.

At the same time, some researchers propose dividing these poles in the form of a scale or building a hierarchy, which is the same scale, only rotated vertically.

Between the poles, or levels of this hierarchy, there are style characteristics that reflect the characteristics of the individual’s response. They were identified and described by Hans Thome.

According to G. Tome, the “upper” styles include such methods as “behavior aimed at achieving success,” “reflection on the situation,” “encouraging oneself,” etc., and the “lower” styles, along with passive actions, also include “evasive behavior”, “devaluation of the importance of others”, “complaints about health”.

The scheme proposed by G. Thome is quite convenient for analyzing individual behavior in real life situations and for predicting the degree of effectiveness of a behavioral reaction.

Thus, an individual’s resistance to stress is closely related to the socio-psychological characteristics of the individual, which determine the nature of his response to stressful situations, and also determines his behavior in a difficult situation.

The importance of stress resistance in human life

Stress resistance, as a personality trait, plays great importance in human life, especially in the conditions of our society, in which there is a need to be flexible and be able to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

In particular, the study by B.B. Velichkovsky revealed regular connections between the level of individual resistance to stress and various aspects of human well-being.

For example, they found that high individual stress tolerance was associated with a lower likelihood of developing acute illnesses during the six-month period preceding the survey, and that high individual stress tolerance was associated with a lower risk of developing chronic illnesses.

At the behavioral level, notes B.B. Velichko, high individual resistance to stress is manifested in less frequent use of inadequate stress coping styles, such as smoking and drinking alcohol. The danger of “bad habits,” in this case, is that, while bringing a certain short-term relief, in the long term they can lead to significant health problems and significantly reduce a person’s ability to withstand stressors. Trends were also observed to suggest that individuals with high individual resistance to stress smoke and drink alcohol significantly less frequently and less intensely than individuals with low individual resistance to stress. In general, individuals with high individual resistance to stress are more likely to healthy image life, which is manifested in compliance with the work and rest regime and regularity physical exercise.

Thus, high individual resistance to stress plays a role big role in the prevention of complex psychological disorders, which not only lead to a sharp decrease in a person’s quality of life, but also reduce the conscientiousness of his attitude towards professional and interpersonal interactions.

Individual resistance to stress neutralizes the effect of existing stress factors, which allows you to maintain high mental and physical health even in the event of long-term life difficulties.

Conclusion

Thus, an analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature on the problem of stress resistance as a mechanism of personal security showed that:

The problem of stress resistance as a mechanism of personal security is relevant today and is being studied by many scientists, since today, according to a number of scientists, stress resistance directly affects a person’s ability to function in society;

In the psychological and pedagogical literature there are several approaches to defining stress resistance, each of which reveals this concept in its own way. However, most scientists note that stress resistance is a property of an individual and directly depends on its individual psychological characteristics, such as: temperament, anxiety, personal motivation, personal attitudes, individual style of activity, gender, coping behavior. The development of each of the listed features directly affects stress resistance as a mechanism of personal security.

Stress resistance is directly related to the psychological safety of the individual, as it directly affects the level of a person’s psychological well-being, ensuring his full functioning in society and stable interpersonal relationships in various areas. In addition, stress resistance as a personality trait determines a person’s behavior in difficult life situations, determines his style of responding to them and certain mechanisms for overcoming stress. The higher the level of stress resistance, the more constructive ways overcoming stressful situations is observed in a person, and vice versa, the lower it is, the more destructive methods a person chooses in a difficult situation. That is, stress resistance is directly related to the psychological safety of the individual, being one of its mechanisms.

List of used literature

Ananyev B.G. Selected psychological works / B.G. Ananyev. – T. 1. – M.: Pedagogy, 1980. – P. 58–62.

Vardanyan B.Kh. Mechanisms of regulation of emotional stability / B.Kh. Vardanyan // Categories, principles and methods of psychology. Mental processes. – M., 1983. – P. 542–543.

Velichkovsky B.B. Individual resistance to stress as a factor in mental and somatic health / B.B. Velichkovsky // Health of the nation and education: materials of the All-Russian scientific practice. congr. – M., 2009. – P. 23–25.

Greenberg D. Stress management / D. Greenberg. – M., St. Petersburg, N.-Novgorod, Voronezh: PETER, 2002. – 480 p.

Zilberman P.B. Emotional stability of the operator / P.B. Zilberman // Essays on the psychology of operator work. – M.: Nauka, 1974. – P. 138–172.

Ilyin E.P. Differential psychology of professional activity / E.P. Ilyin. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008. – 432 p.

Libina A.V. Stress response styles: psychological protection or coping with difficult situations / A.V. Libina, A.V. Libin // Human style: psychological analysis / ed. A.V. Libina. – M.: Smysl, 1998. – P. 190–204.

Makhnach A.V. Dependence of the dynamics of emotional tension on individual personality properties / A.V. Makhnach Yu.V. Bushov // Questions of psychology. – 1988. – No. 6. – 130–133.

Merlin V.S. Temperament as a factor labor activity/ V.S. Merlin // Essay on the theory of temperament. – Perm, 1973. – pp. 148–167.

Subbotin S.V. Resistance to mental stress as a characteristic of a teacher’s meta-individuality: dis. ...cand. psychol. Sciences: 19.00.07 / S.V. Subbotin. – Perm, 1992. – 152 p.

Feingerberg I.M. See - foresee - act. Psychological studies / I.M. Feingerberg. – M.: Knowledge. – 1986. – 160 p.

Lazarus, R.S. Psychological stress and the coping process / R.S. Lazarus. – N.Y., 1966. – 466 p.

Thome H. Theory of aging and cognitive theory of personality / H. Thomae // Human development. – 1970. – Vol. 12. – P. 1–16.