alarm
Summary
Alarm is the first stage of Selye's general adaptation syndrome, when a stressor triggers the sympathetic fight-or-flight response. The testable point is the order of the stages: alarm, then resistance, then exhaustion.
Detail
Meaning: Alarm is the first stage of Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS), the model of how the body responds to prolonged stress. When a stressor is perceived, the sympathetic nervous system activates the fight-or-flight response. The adrenal medulla releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis raises cortisol. Heart rate, blood pressure and blood glucose rise, which prepares the body to confront or escape the threat.
On the MCAT: A passage describes a person's physiological changes over time under a continuing stressor, and you must name the stage. A sudden surge in heart rate and arousal at the onset points to alarm. Sustained mobilization with coping and apparently normal functioning points to resistance. Depleted resources, fatigue and greater susceptibility to illness point to exhaustion. Questions may also ask which system drives the immediate response (sympathetic) and which hormone supports the longer response (cortisol).
Common confusion: Students treat alarm as the worst or final stage, or as the emotion of fear. It is only the first, immediate mobilization. The harm linked to chronic stress is tied to exhaustion, which follows prolonged activation. The order of the stages is alarm, resistance, exhaustion.
Sources
- Psychology
- Introduction to Psychology
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.