Understanding Stress: The Lazarus and Folkman Model

The Lazarus and Folkman Transactional Model helps us understand how people experience stress. It's not just about what happens to us, but how we think about what happens. Think of it as a conversation (a transaction) between you and your environment.

What Makes Things Stressful?

Stress isn't just about big events. It's about how we see those events in relation to our personal resources. Several things can impact how we experience stress:

• Our Personality: Are we generally optimistic or pessimistic? Do we like challenges or avoid them? How fast-paced is our life? Our personal traits affect how we handle stressful events.
• Our Experiences: Have we faced similar stressful situations before? Our past experiences shape our responses.
• Our Support System: Do we have friends, family, or others who can help us? A strong support system makes a huge difference.

Two Steps to Stress: Appraisal

The model says we go through two main steps when we encounter a potentially stressful event:

1. Primary Appraisal: We figure out what the situation means to us. Is it:

• Positive? (Great news!)
• Neutral? (No big deal.)
• Stressful? (Oh no!) If it's stressful, we further decide if it's:
  • Harm/Loss: Something bad has already happened.
  • Threat: Something bad might happen.
  • Challenge: A chance to learn and grow.

2. Secondary Appraisal: We consider our resources. Can we cope with this? We think about:

• Internal Resources: Our skills, knowledge, and coping strategies.
• External Resources: Help from others, time, money, etc.

If we feel we have enough resources to handle the situation, we experience less stress. If not, we feel more stressed. We may even re-appraise the situation based on new information or available support.

Strengths and Weaknesses

This model is great because it shows how individuals respond differently to the same event. It also recognizes that our understanding and responses change over time.

However, it's hard to scientifically test because everyone's thoughts and feelings are unique and subjective. Also, the primary and secondary appraisals are often intertwined and not always clearly separate.

Example: Exam Stress

Imagine you have a big exam.

• Primary Appraisal: You might see the exam as a threat (fear of failing) or a challenge (a chance to show what you've learned).
• Secondary Appraisal: You might feel confident (lots of internal resources) or anxious (lacking internal or external resources).

This model highlights that the same event can create very different stress levels depending on your individual circumstances and your interpretation of the situation.