The stress theory of Richard S. Lazarus

A theory that deals with the relationship between stress and thoughts.

The relationship between the reactions expressed by our organism to a situation, on the one hand, and our cognitions on the other, is undeniable. The stress theory of Richard S. Lazarus focused on the study of this relationship, and on how cognitions influence the way we think.and how cognitions influence our stress response. We are going to know in detail the characteristics of this model.

Richard S. Lazarus's stress theory: characteristics

Richard S. Lazarus was an important American psychologist, professor and researcher, who investigated stress and its relationship with cognition. He developed a transactional model of stress.

The Richard S. Lazarus Theory of Stress (1966), also developed by Cohen (1977) and Folkman (1984), focuses on the cognitive processes that arise in the face of a stressful situation.. This theory states that the coping we do in a stressful situation is actually a process that depends on the context and other variables.

This theory forms part of the so-called transactional models of stress, since it takes into account how the person interacts with a given environment and situationconsidering the influence of his or her evaluations and cognitions.

According to Lazarus, a situation is stressful as a result of transactions between the person and the environment, which depend on the impact of the environmental stressor. This impact, in turn, is mediated by two variables: firstly, by the evaluations made by the person of the stressor agentand secondly, by the personal, social or cultural resources available to the person when confronted with the stressor.

Types of evaluation.

Thus, according to the Theory of stress by Richard S. Lazarus, referring to cognitive factors, there are three types of assessment:

1. Primary assessment

This is the first to appear, and occurs when the person is faced with a potentially stressful situation. It is a judgment about the significance of the situation, such as to qualify it as stressful.It is a judgment about the significance of the situation, such as to qualify it as stressful, positive, controllable, changeable or simply irrelevant. That is, it is an evaluation that focuses on the environment, situation or surroundings.

If the person "decides" that the situation is a source of stress, the secondary evaluation is activated.

2. Secondary assessment

This focuses on the resources available to the person to cope or not with the situation. It is oriented to look for strategies to resolve the situation. The results of the secondary assessment will modify the initial assessment and predispose the person to develop coping strategies.

The use of one strategy or another will depend on the person's evaluation of the situation, whether it can be changed or not (as we will see below); that is, whether the situation is controllable or uncontrollable.

The strategies proposed by the Richard S. Lazarus stress theory are of two types:

2.1. Problem-oriented strategies.

These are those behaviors or cognitive acts aimed at managing or handling the source that generates stress. They try to change the environment-person relationship by acting on the environment or on the person.by acting on the environment or on the subject.

These strategies are effective when the situation can be changed.

2.2. Emotion-oriented strategies

They are strategies aimed at the emotional regulation of the person, that is, to change how the situation is perceived and experienced. They are focused on regulating in a more effective and functional way the negative emotional reactionsarising as a result of the stressful situation. In other words, it is a matter of changing the way in which what happens is interpreted.

Emotion-oriented strategies, unlike the previous ones, are effective when the situation cannot be changed.

3. Tertiary evaluation or re-evaluation

This is the feedback of two previous evaluations and the corrections that can be made to improve them.

Coping Strategies Questionnaire

'Richard S. Lazarus designed a questionnaire called WCQ, intended to assess 8 dimensions of stress coping strategies:

• Copingdirect actions directed towards the situation.
• DistancingTrying to forget about the problem, refusing to take it seriously...
• Self-controlkeeping problems to oneself, not rushing, regulating oneself...
• Seeking social supportasking a friend for help, talking to someone...
• Acceptance of responsibilityRecognizing oneself as the cause of the problem.
• Escape-avoidance: waiting for a miracle to happen, avoiding contact with people, taking alcohol or drugs...
• Problem-solving planningEstablishing a plan of action and following it, making a change.
• Positive reappraisal: taking the positive side of the experience.

Each of these 8 dimensions is grouped into one of the two types of strategies mentioned: problem-oriented or emotion-oriented.

Bibliographical references:

• Amigo Vázquez, I. (2012). Manual de Psicología de la Salud. Madrid: Pirámide.
• Berra, E., Muñoz, S.I., Vega, C.Z., Rodríguez, A.S. and Gómez, G. (2014). Emotions, stress and coping in adolescents from the Lazarus and Folkman model. Intercontinental Journal of Psychology and Education, 16(1), 37-57.