Final answer:
Current research does not support the idea that change is inherently and inevitably stressful; rather, stress is subjective and depends on individual appraisal. Stress can be managed and controlled to varying degrees, and even positive events can induce eustress by necessitating personal readjustment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Current research suggests that change is not inherently and inevitably stressful. While some stressors are more threatening and leave less potential for variation in cognitive appraisals, such as those that pose objective threats to health or safety, it is still the individual's appraisal of the change that augments or diminishes the stress response. This means that stress is subjective and is influenced by how events are interpreted and assigned meaning by the individual, largely supporting the viewpoint that stress is in the 'eye of the beholder.'
, most stressors are modifiable and to varying degrees controllable, allowing for stress levels to be managed. Instances of eustress, or positive stress, can also arise from situations normally considered pleasant, like holidays or marriage, which still require personal readjustment and can be stressful. The subjective experience of stress occurs when an individual appraises an event as harmful and that it exceeds their available resources, whereas if the event is not appraised as harmful, the individual is unlikely to experience stress.