Life change, stress responsivity, and captivity research

One purpose of a presidential address is to allow the speaker to identify seminal studies in their area of research which are generally unknown and likely were published before the advent of computerized searches of the scientific literature. Particularly in life change research, many important papers are obscurely placed and because of their early dates of origin are out of the computer's reach. Therefore, for this talk I will present some of this formative, but cloistered, material. Similarly, selected findings from early studies of biochemical correlates of life change stress could also bear repetition. For example, previously documented large variability in the serum concentration of these metabolites across varying life situations frequently goes unheeded, perhaps even unrecognized, by today's investigators. Finally, I wish to re-acquaint many of you with the utility and clinical appeal of the life chart. From Meyer, Hinkle, Holmes, Rahe, and Theorell, illustrations of the origin, development, and current status of this approach to understanding the timing of illness onset will be presented.