Final answer:
True, stress can be triggered by both positive and negative events in our lives. Stress is subjective and based on personal appraisal, with events ranging from major life changes to daily hassles potentially inducing stress. This appraisal determines whether an event is a stressor or a melior, which are experiences that reduce anxiety and increase enjoyment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stress can occur when both good and bad events happen in our lives. This is because stress is a subjective experience that depends on our appraisal of an event, not solely on its nature. Content loaded stress can occur when we interpret an event as demanding or challenging, even if it's positive. For instance, eustress is a type of good stress associated with beneficial outcomes like improved performance in athletes before a competition or enhanced memory recall for students during exams.
When facing life's stressors, it's important to recognize that both chronic and acute stressors can impact us. Chronic stressors persist over time, such as long-term unemployment, while acute stressors are short, intense events like an injury. Both can be perceived differently based on individual interpretations and coping resources. Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) even includes positive life changes as potential stressors because they require personal readjustment, demonstrating that stress is not exclusively related to negative experiences.
Ultimately, our ability to manage or adapt to both positive and negative changes plays a critical role in whether an event causes us stress. The cognitive appraisal of events determines our stress levels, indicating that both 'stressors' and 'meliors' - events that ease stress - are a part of our lives, influencing our well-being.