AAMC Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (PS) Full-Length (FL) 1 Practice Test

Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS) outlines how the body responds to stress through three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. The theory suggests that the physiological responses to stress are generalized and not specific to the type of stress. This means that whether the stressor is physical (like an injury or lack of sleep) or psychological (such as emotional distress) the body still goes through the same stages of response.

Thus, adding a physical stressor to the study is considered unnecessary because the fundamental physiological response mechanism is the same regardless of the stressor's nature. The premise of GAS emphasizes that the body's stress response does not differ in its biological reaction due to the type of stressor encountered. This underlines the universality of the stress response, supporting the idea that reactions are analogous whether the challenges are physical or psychological.