Question

Over the last century, researchers have held various views of stress and adaptation. Which of the following alters physiological functions temporarily as the body deals with an acute stressor?

a. Allostasis
b. Homeostasis
c. General adaptation syndrome
d. Set-point model

Answer 1

Allostasis is the process by which the body temporarily alters physiological functions to deal with acute stressors, differing from the general adaptation syndrome which is more about prolonged stress response.

Step-by-step explanation:

The physiological changes temporarily altering functions to deal with acute stressors are best characterized by the concept of allostasis. Allostasis refers to the process by which the body responds to stressors by changing the physiological set-points for some systems away from homeostasis in order to meet the demands of the stress. This is in contrast to the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), which describes a three-stage process (alarm reaction, stage of resistance, and stage of exhaustion) in response to prolonged stressors, and the set-point model, which is more static and doesn’t account for acute stress responses.