Stres

Often stress is defined by just looking from the stimulus or the response of someone. Definition of the stress stimulus in an environment focused on events such as natural disasters, hazardous conditions, disease, or quit working. This definition involves the assumption that the situation was very stressful but do not pay attention to individual differences in evaluating events. While the definition of the stress response refers to the state of stress, a person's reaction to stress, or are in a state under stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).
Definition of stress by just looking from the stimulus experienced by a person, has its limitations because it does not pay attention to individual differences that affect the assumptions regarding the stressors. Whereas if the stress is defined from the response, then there is no systematic way to identify which ones will be a stressor and what does not. To recognize it, need to see the reaction that occurs first. In addition, many responses may indicate that psychological stress when in fact it is not a psychological stress. Of explanation, it seems that the response can not be reliably assessed in response to psychological stress in the absence of a reference stimulus (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).
In short, all the stimulus-response approach refers to the crucial question about the stimulus that generates a certain stress responses and responses that indicate certain stressors. Which defines the stress is the stimulus-response relationships were observed, not the stimulus or response. Stimulus if the stimulus is a stressor produces a stressful response, and stressful to say the response when the response is generated by the demands, whipping, threats or load. Therefore, stress is a relationship between the individual and the environment by individuals considered a burden or exceed its strength and threatening the health (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).
Experience the process of stressStress is considered a person's perception of a situation or event. A similar situation can be considered positive, neutral or negative by different people. This assessment is subjective to each person. Therefore, one can feel more stressful than others despite having the same event. In addition, a growing number of events rated as stresoroleh someone, the more likely someone is having a more severe stress.
Differences in development levels between children with adults does not make a big difference in terms of the formation of human perception. Appraisal theory of Lazarus has been applied in research on children. One of the studies in question is the study by Johnson and Bradlyn (in Wolchik & Sandler, 1997), which aimed to examine the positive and negative appraisal of an event and how much influence these events against a child.
According to Lazarus (1991) in conducting the assessment there are two stages to be followed, namely:
A. Primary appraisalPrimary appraisal is the process of determining the meaning of an event experienced by the individual. These events can be perceived as positive, neutral, or negatively by the individual. Events are considered negative and then look for the possibility of harm, threat, or challenge. Harm is the assessment of the dangers that come from events that occurred. Threat is the assessment of the likely adverse or threats derived from events that occurred. Challenge is the challenge will be the ability to cope with and benefit from the events that occurred (Lazarus in Taylor, 1991). The importance of primary appraisal is described in a classic study of the stress by Speisman, Lazarus, Mordkoff, and Davidson (in Taylor, 1991). This study shows that the stress depends on how people judge an event.
Primary appraisal has three components, namely:
Goal relevance, ie the assessment that refers to one's own purposes, namely how to link events that occurred with their personal goals.Goal congruence or incongruenc; the assessment that refers to whether the relationship between events in the environment and the individual is consistent with the desires of the individual or not, and does it hinder or facilitate their personal goals. If it is prevented, then it is referred to as goal incongruence, and vice versa if it is facilitated, it is referred to as goal congruence.Type of ego involvement, ie the assessment that refers to various aspects of ego identity or one's commitment.2. Secondary appraisal
Secondary appraisal is the assessment of an individual's ability to coping, along with its resources, and whether individuals are quite capable of facing harm, threat, and challenge in the event that occurred.Secondary appraisal has three components, namely:
Blame and credit: judgments about who is responsible for the situation that happened to hit people.Coping-potential: assessment of how individuals can cope with pressure situations or the actualization of personal commitment.Future expectancy: assessment as to whether for some reason an individual may change psychologically for the better or worse.Subjective experience will stress the balance between primary and secondary appraisal. When the harm and the threat that there are quite large, whereas the ability to perform inadequate coping, which would most stress felt by individuals. Conversely, when a great coping skills, stress can be minimized.


Stress ResponseTaylor (1991) states, stress can produce a variety of responses. Various researchers have shown that these responses may be useful as an indicator of stress on individuals, and measure the level of stress experienced by individuals. Stress response can be seen in various aspects, namely:

 Physiological response; can be characterized by increased blood pressure, heart rate, pulse rate, and respiratory system.Cognitive response; can be seen through the disruption of individual cognitive processes, such as the mind becomes confused, decreased concentration, recurrent thoughts, and thoughts unnatural.Emotional response; can appear very broad concept, encompassing emotions that may be experienced by individuals, such as fear, anxiety, embarrassment, anger, and so forth.Response behavior; can be divided into the fight, the fight against stressful situations, and flight, avoiding stressful situations.

COPING WITH STRESSStress Coping ProcessStress that appears in children will make the child perform a coping (Mu'tadin, 2002). Coping is an act of constantly changing cognitive and behavior is an attempt to overcome the internal or external demands are considered a burden or exceeding the resources of the individual. Coping is done is different from the automatic adaptive behavior, because coping requires an effort, which it will become automatic behavior through the learning process. Coping is seen as an attempt to control stressful situations, regardless of the result of these pressures. But coping is not an attempt to control the whole situation of pressure, because not every situation can be completely controlled. Thus, an effective coping to do is coping that helps a person to tolerate and accept the situation and not worry about pressing the pressure that can not be mastered (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).
According to Lazarus & Folkman (1984), in doing the coping, there are two strategies that can be divided into:
A. Problem-focused copingProblem-focused coping, ie coping with stress in a way to set or change the problems encountered and the surrounding environment that causes stress.
2. Emotion-focused coping.Emotion-focused coping, ie coping with stress by regulating the emotional response in order to adjust to the impact that will be caused by a condition or situation is considered stressful.
Individuals tend to use problem-focused coping in dealing with the problems which the individual can control it. Instead, individuals tend to use emotion focused coping in dealing with the problems that he is difficult to control (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Sometimes individuals may use both strategies simultaneously, but certainly not all coping strategies used by individuals (Taylor, 1991). The researchers found that the use of emotion focused coping strategies by children in general they increase with age (Band & Weisz, Compas et al., In Wolchik & Sandler, 1997).
A study conducted by Folkman et al. (In Taylor, 1991) regarding the possible variations of the two previous strategies, namely problem-focused coping and emotion focused coping. Our results suggest the existence of eight coping strategies that emerged, namely:
Problem-focused coping

 Confrontative coping; attempt to change the situation that is considered an aggressive push by the way, a fairly high level of anger, and risk-taking.Seeking social support, ie the attempt to get the emotional comfort and support information from others.Planful problem solving; effort to change things that are considered pressing in a careful, gradual, and analytical.Emotion focused coping

 Self-control; attempt to regulate feelings when facing stressful situations.Distancing; effort to not get involved in issues, such as avoidance of the problem does not happen nothing or creating positive views, as regard the issue as a joke.Positive reappraisal: the search for positive meaning of the problems with a focus on personal development, usually involve things that are religious.Accepting responsibility; effort to realize the self-responsibility in the problems it faces, and try to take it to make things better. This strategy is good, especially when the problem occurred because the thoughts and actions. However, this strategy becomes better when the individual is not supposed to be responsible for the problem.Escape / avoidance; attempt to resolve the situation by pressing the escape from the situation or avoid it by switching to other things such as eating, drinking, smoking or using drugs.Coping OutcomeLazarus and Folkman (1984) stated that effective coping is coping that helps a person to tolerate and accept the situation of press, and not worry about the pressure that can not be mastered. In accordance with the statement, Cohen and Lazarus (in Taylor, 1991) suggests, to do with effective coping, the coping strategies need to refer to the five functions of the task of coping are known as coping task, namely:
Reducing the harmful environmental conditions and increase the prospects for the fixTolerate or adjust to the fact that negative.Maintain a positive self image.Maintain emotional balance.Continuing satisfaction with the relationship with other people.According to Taylor (1991), coping effectiveness depends on the successful fulfillment of coping task. Individuals do not have to fulfill all tasks for coping successfully coping with otherwise good. After coping may meet some or all functions of the job, then it can be seen how the coping outcomes experienced by each individual. Coping is the outcome criteria to determine the success of the coping coping. Coping outcomes, namely:
The size of the physiological function, namely coping coping declared successful when undertaken to reduce arousal and stress indicators such as decreased blood pressure, heart rate, pulse rate, and respiratory system.Whether the individual can return to the state as before it is stressed, and how quickly he can come back. Coping declared successful when performed coping can bring back to the state as an individual before the individual is stressed.Effectiveness in reducing psychological distress. Coping coping declared successful if it can reduce anxiety and depression in individuals.