[Behavioral and cognitive strategies in stress management]

Stress is a specific response of the individual to all nonspecific demands. However, this process of adaptation is very complex and varies considerably from person to person. The stress response or "stress reactivity" is triggered by various stressors, ranging from live events to daily hassles and including chronic stressors. These stressors need to be identified. The stress response is not univocal: it has physiological, cognitive and behavioral components. Most of the time, physiological, cognitive and behavioral responses are maladaptive and harmful for the individual. Stress management is directed at teaching individuals specific skills to modify parts of these responses in order to reduce stress. Relaxation therapies are the cornerstone of any stress management program. They mostly include autogenic training and progressive relaxation training, sometimes biofeedback. The relaxation response is a learned response. There are a variety of different methods of inducing this response. They share the common goal of countering the physiological aspects of the stress reaction. All the relaxation techniques involve long and exacting training. But proper training leads to a gradual reduction in time and effort required to relax. When properly pursued, these techniques produce a state of relaxation quickly and on demand. Cognitive approaches to stress management derive from the constatation that the individual's interpretation of events or situations which have been labeled stressful, the individual's anticipation of the consequences of the stressor and the individual's view of his or her ability to cope with the stressor or the stress reaction are fundamental in the stress process. There are a variety of cognitive theories and techniques, ranging from Beck's cognitive therapy to Ellis' Rational-Emotive Therapy. Initial phases of these therapies are directed at teaching the individual to recognize, record, analyse and modify maladaptive cognitions. The second phase is usually devoted to identifying and modifying the dysfunctional attitudes which give rise to the stressful cognitions. The basic behavioral stress response falls in line with the expectations of the fight or flight response, and a stressed individual will typically display a pattern of either aggressive or avoidance behavior (as shown in the "Type A Behavioral Pattern"). The relation between stress and behavior is bidirectional: some behaviors occur in response to stress, whereas others produce stress. Assertive training is often a component of stress management programs as it is accepted that behaving in an assertive manner (i.e. a non passive and non aggressive manner) results in an increased feeling of well-being.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)