Final answer:
Stress sensitivity refers to the individual differences in responsiveness to stress, with some people experiencing amplified physiological and emotional responses to stressful events. It aligns with the notion that stress is subjective and varies according to personal perception and appraisal of events as being overwhelming or threatening.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stress sensitivity refers to the heightened responsiveness of certain individuals to stress, often measured in terms of physiological, emotional, or cognitive responses. It can be observed, for instance, in the exacerbation of pain sensitivity in tension headache sufferers, where stress amplifies the already-sensitive pain pathways. The concept implies that individual differences play a significant role in how one experiences and reacts to stress, in alignment with the appraisal-based definitions of stress which focus on an individual's perception and response to events considered overwhelming or threatening to their well-being.
According to Selye's early definition, stress is a broad response to any demand, pleasant or unpleasant. Different people have different thresholds and reactions to what might constitute a stressful stimulus, and these disparities are where stress sensitivity comes into play. A comprehensive understanding of stress includes acknowledging the physiological reactions that can be induced by stressors, the environmental stimuli that initiate the stress process, and the realization that stress is subjective. It is not solely based on the events themselves but also on how the individual interprets and manages them.