Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome Theory in
Cardiovascular Disease
by Barry Wright
Essay: Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome Theory in Cardiovascular Disease
Pages: 10
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When adapting nursing care for particular clients, it is important to consider applicable theories used in guiding
practice. Hans Selye's theory of general adaptation syndrome or stress response for instance, is helpful to consider
when caring for patients whose challenges may be partially caused or exacerbated by many overlapping factors
within both the internal and external environments. Important also to nursing is the metaparadigm which forms
the framework of nursing theories. The metaparadigm for nursing revolves around the concepts of the client as
recipient, the environment, health, and nursing, all of which can be used in discussing any nursing endeavor
(Berman and Snyder, 2012, Chapter 3, p. 41).
Selye's study of stress and the body's natural responses to factors which cause “stress” or “stressors”, led to his
establishment of the theory of “general adaptation syndrome” due to an observed pattern of responses common
to exposure to any form of stress (Selye, 1950). Within Selye's idea of general adaptation syndrome he
differentiates three stages of response undergone when encountering a stressor (alarm, resistance and
exhaustion) as well as some of the physical symptoms which have come to be associated with experiencing
general adaptation syndrome (Selye, 1950). The physiological changes occurring in the body are due to the effects
of sympathetic nervous system activation and the release of hormones which prepare the body to take action, or
to “fight or flight”. This process occurs regardless of the stressor encountered. Since the effects of general
adaptation syndrome are so widespread in the body, they can be responsible for many different degrees of illness.
As one can imagine, the clients seen by nurses all ex...