Stress: Conceptual and Biological Aspects

Despite the growing literature on the subject of stress, there are surprisingly few publications which integrate the different areas of stress research. This timely and accessible book describes the relationship between behavioural phenomena and the biological foundations of stress. A range of definitions of this subject are discussed such as external stressors, hormonal states and pathological consequences, highlighting the difficulties and ambiguities in the use of the term ?stress?. The book illustrates how stress arises when behavioural and coping mechanisms fail to allow organisms to respond effectively to environmental challenges. Other topics include the hypothalamic?pituitary?adrenocortical system and the sympathetic adreno-medullary systems and how they react to stressors, stress induced analgesia, immune system interactions and stereotypies. The use of a model of coping is the focal point, involving either active or passive coping strategies. Written by an author who has extensive experience in the field of behavioural science, the book will have a wide audience including advanced level undergraduates and postgraduates in psychology, physiology, medicine, ethology and veterinary sciences, as well as research scientists in these areas. "A remarkably perspicuous analysis of the nature and controls of stress. The author has integrated in beautiful fashion a bewildering and diverse scientific literature into an organized and compelling presentation. This book should be read by any psychologists, neuroscientists, physiologists or other individual interested in the topic of stress." Dr Kent Berridge, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan "It is a goldmine of information." Per Jensen, Professor of Ethology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences