The Effectiveness of an Electronic-Mail Campaign to Modify Stress Levels, Mood States, and Coping Techniques Among Employed Adults Page: 2
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environment as homeostasis. Homeostasis is maintained as nerves transmit information to the
brain about the internal and external environments, and the brain stimulates reactions to adjust to
the challenges. Cannon acknowledged that both physical and psychological challenges could
disrupt homeostasis (Lovallo, 1997).
The stimulus model of stress indicates that there is an identifiable source of stress that
elicits a response from the individual. If too many stimuli overwhelm the individual's tolerance
level, a breakdown in coping behavior may occur. The stimulus model is based on an
engineering approach to stress, which is concerned with the elasticity of substances (Bartlett,
1998). When a force is exerted on a substance, the "strain" caused by the force "stresses" the
substance. Permanent damage occurs when the elastic limit of the substance is exceeded. The
analogy to the human stress model is that environmental stimuli stress the individual and may
lead to ill health if the strain exceeds the individual's tolerance limit. Focusing on the specific
life events that are sources of stress makes the stimulus the most important part of understanding
stress, which is the approach offered by Holmes and Rahe (1967) in their Social Readjustment
Rating Scale. This scale offers a list of stressful events that are ranked in terms of impact, which
may have a detrimental effect on the health of the respondent.
Following the logic of the stimulus model of stress, identifying and eliminating the stress-
inducing stimuli would greatly reduce the undesirable outcomes of stress. Therefore, stress
management interventions following this model focus on reducing the factors in the work
environment that are potential stimuli of stress (i.e., temperature, lighting, social density, etc.).
Additionally, this approach is elaborated by the theory that there may be an optimal stress level,
as explained in the inverted U hypothesis by Yerkes and Dodson (1908). Too much or too little
stress may result in poor performance by the individual, depending on the interaction with task
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Hoke, Cassandra N. The Effectiveness of an Electronic-Mail Campaign to Modify Stress Levels, Mood States, and Coping Techniques Among Employed Adults, dissertation, August 2003; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4262/m1/7/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .