56 Chapter 3

Section 1

and HealthDialogue

Have students write a dialogue betweentwo teens who are discussing a major lifechange, such as leaving home for college.The dialogue should show how the lifechange is both positive and stressful.

Invite a few students to share their dia-logues with the class. Discuss why majorlife changes are stressful, even when theyare positive. Through the dialogues anddiscussion, students should come to appre-ciate that change itself is stressful.

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ObjectivesBefore class begins, write the objectiveson the board. Have students copy theobjectives into their notebooks at thestart of class.

After students complete the writingassignment, call on a few volunteers to read their ideas to the class. Moststudents will be able to think of something potentially stressful aboutthe situation. Then ask students toreread the myth. Discuss the myth tofind out what students think stress isand whether they think stress is always negative.

Teaching Transparency W8

1. Focus

Warm-Up Myth/Fact

Sensitive Issues Do not press students to give examplesof stressors in their own lives. Instead,give them the choice of using hypo-thetical examples.

What CausesStress?

56 Chapter 3

Section 1

Objectives� Describe what causes

a person to experiencestress.

� Identify four generaltypes of stressors.

Vocabulary• stress• eustress• distress• stressor• catastrophe

What Is Stress?It is early morning and you are fast asleep. Suddenly, your alarm clocksounds. You sit up quickly, open your eyes, and jump out of bed. As youreact to the ringing alarm, you experience stress. is the response ofyour body and mind to being challenged or threatened. You experiencestress when situations, events, or people make demands on your bodyand mind. Most people think of stress as a negative experience, but stresscan be positive as well. Stress is positive when it helps you escape from adangerous situation, promotes your personal growth, or helps you accom-plish your goals. Positive stress is sometimes called Negativestress is sometimes called

Think about something you have accomplished lately—perhaps youdid well on a test or your team defeated a tough opponent in soccer. Youmay remember the feelings you experienced before and during the event.Do you think you performed better as a result of the stress?

At moderate levels, stress can actually improve your ability to con-centrate and perform at your best. Beyond that level, however, it begins totake a negative toll on performance. Suppose that you were scheduled totake your driver’s test next week. Feelings of stress might assure that youpractice during the week. On the day of the test, your nervousness mightmake you more alert behind the wheel. But what if you experience over-whelming stress during the test? You might find it difficult to concentrateand you might make mistakes that cause you to fail the test.

distress.eustress.

Stress

What Causes Stress?

Myth People should try to avoid allsituations that can lead to stress.

Fact Stress is a normal part of life that you cannot avoid. Sometimes stress can have a positive outcome.

You are invited to a friend’sbirthday party. What about this situationcould cause you to experience stress?

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Managing Stress 57

Special NeedsGive students a simple example to explainthe terms stress and stressor. Suppose youare trying to get ready for school and youcannot find your homework. You are likely to be nervous and worried abouthaving to go to school without your

homework or missing your ride to schoolwhile you are looking for your homework.Not being able to find your homework is astressor. Your response to not finding thehomework is stress.

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Reading/Note Taking 3-1

Adapted Reading/Note Taking 3-1

What Is Stress?

Building VocabularyHave students read the definition ofstress on page 56. Then point out theterms eustress and distress. Explain thatthe prefix eu- means “good,” and theprefix dis- means “bad.” Ask: What iseustress? (good stress). What is dis-tress? (bad stress). Describe an exampleof each kind of stress. Call on volun-teers to give additional examples.

The Many Causes of Stress

Cooperative LearningDivide the class into groups. Ask eachgroup to take a survey of other stu-dents in school about which events andsituations cause them stress. Have eachgroup rank the stressors identified intheir survey by frequency and classifythem as major life changes or everydayproblems. Ask groups to make chartssummarizing the results of their surveys.Display the charts in the classroom.

Visual Learning: Figure 1Have students look at the list of majorlife changes in the figure. Explain thatmajor life changes are common events.For example, each year in the U.S.,about 3 million people graduate fromhigh school and more than 4 millionmarry. Call on volunteers to answer thecaption question. Then, ask: Which ofthe life changes would you classify asnegative? (Sample answer: death of aparent, having a serious illness, failing agrade) Which of the life changes couldbe either positive or negative? (Sampleanswer: remarriage of a parent, movingto a new school district, leaving homefor college or a job)Caption Answer Sample answer: gradu-ating from high school, being acceptedto college, being elected to studentgovernment, being recognized for anachievement

Allow students to answer this question in their

private journals.

Connect to

YOUR LIFE

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2. Teach

� Graduating from high school� Experiencing death of a parent� Going through parents’ divorce� Experiencing remarriage of parent� Having a newborn sister or brother� Having a serious illness� Moving to a new school district� Failing a grade� Being accepted to college� Breaking up with boyfriend or girlfriend� Having parent lose his or her job� Learning you were adopted � Not making the team� Being elected to student government� Being recognized for an achievement� Leaving home for college or a job

Major Life Changes

Managing Stress 57

The Many Causes of StressAn event or situation that causes stress is called a A ringingalarm clock is one example of a stressor. Other stressors in your life maybe a difficult homework assignment or an argument with a friend. Theseevents make demands on your body and mind. Four general types ofstressors are major life changes, catastrophes, everyday problems, andenvironmental problems.

Major Life Changes Do you remember how you felt on your firstday of high school? Were you excited? Were you nervous? Perhaps youexperienced both emotions at the same time. You had to adjust to newsurroundings, new people, and increased expectations. Starting highschool is an example of a major life change. So is graduating from highschool. Major life changes are stressful because it takes energy to adjust toa new situation. A major life change may also threaten your sense of secu-rity or your self-esteem. The more major life changes you experience in ayear, the more stress you are likely to feel.

Figure 1 lists some major life changes. Notice that the list includespositive changes as well as negative ones. While being accepted to the col-lege of your choice is indeed a positive event, it can be just as stressful asa negative event, such as having a parent lose a job. It is important to real-ize that change, both positive and negative, is in itself stressful.

List three major life changes you experiencedduring the past five years.

Connect to YOUR LIFE

stressor.

FIGURE 1 A major life change may berelated to health, family, employment,friendships, or education. Classifying Which of the life changeslisted would you classify as positive?

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58 Chapter 3

Q: I need to be involved in more extra-curricular activities so I’ll have a betterchance of getting into a good college. ButI’m afraid I’ll be too stressed out if I addmore activities. What should I do?

A: Although many colleges consider extra-curricular activities in the admissions process,

how involved you are in the activities is gen-erally more important than the number ofactivities you take part in. Instead of addingmore activities to your schedule, demonstratelong-term commitment and leadership in justa few activities that really interest you.

TEENS Are Asking . . .

Chapter 3, Section 1

Content Update Use the Web Code to access up-to-date information aboutstress. Have students complete the Web activity.

Cultural ConnectionTell students that acculturation, oradapting to a new culture, is a majorcause of stress for many people. Over amillion people immigrate to the U.S.each year, and most of them gothrough some degree of acculturation.Ask: What are some reasons accultura-tion can be stressful? (Possible reasons:new customs, new language, lack offamiliar foods, the need to make newfriends, lack of extended family)

Building Media LiteracyAsk students to find three differentnewspaper or magazine articles aboutthe same catastrophe, such as a naturaldisaster, violent crime, terrorist attack,or war. Have students compare the cov-erage of the catastrophe in the differ-ent articles. For example, what aspectsof the catastrophe did each article focuson? How did each article address thehuman effects of the catastrophe? Havestudents write a paragraph summariz-ing their analysis of the articles. Ask afew volunteers to read their paragraphsaloud.

Teacher DemoHelp students appreciate how stressfulenvironmental problems can be. Pointout that noise is an environmentalproblem that causes stress. Then askstudents to do a task that requires con-centration, such as adding long columnsof figures, while you play loud music(without lyrics). After the activity, havestudents brainstorm places that mightbe stressful because of loud noises.(Places might include the cafeteria atlunchtime, a busy city street, and acrowded school bus.)

Allow students to answer this question in their

private journals.

Connect to

YOUR LIFE

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58 Chapter 3

Catastrophes Major life changes are an expected part of life; otherhighly stressful events are unexpected. A (kuh TAS truh fee)is an event that threatens lives and may destroy property. Natural disasterssuch as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes are catastrophes. So are violentcrimes, terrorism, and war. A person who experiences a catastrophe maydeal with the psychological effects for years after the event. Reading abouta catastrophe or seeing images on television can also cause stress.

Everyday Problems Some of the most common stressors areminor, but frequent, everyday events. These common stressors are some-times called “hassles.” Hassles include misplacing your keys, missing yourbus, or having too many homework assignments on the same day. Whilesuch problems seem minor, they contribute greatly to your overall feel-ing of stress. This is because hassles occur day in and day out. Can youremember a day in the past month that was free of hassles?

Conflict—disagreements with family members, friends, or others—isanother common source of stress. Some high school students experiencemore conflict than they did when they were younger or disagree over issuesthat are more serious. How you dress, what music you listen to, whatfriends you see—these are all possible sources of conflict and stress.

For many people, the pressure to succeed is a major source of stress.They don’t want to fail and they don’t want to disappoint their families,their friends, or themselves. You can feel this pressure any time there iscompetition—in class, at a swim meet, playing chess, or in a debate. Notknowing what you will do once you leave school can also be stressful.

What everyday problems did you experiencetoday that were stressful for you?

Connect to YOUR LIFE

catastrophe

Avoid Waiting in Line• Purchase tickets

in advance.• Pick a different time

of day.• Wait a while to see a

new release.

For: Updates on stressVisit: www.Scilinks.org/healthWeb Code: ctn-1031

FIGURE 2 For some people,waiting in line to buy a ticketcan be stressful.

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Managing Stress 59

3. Assess

1. Stress is the response of your body andmind to being challenged or threatened.Eustress helps people accomplish goals; distress takes a toll on performance.

2. when situations, events, or people makedemands on their bodies and minds

3. an event or situation that causes stress

4. The four types of stressors are major lifechanges, catastrophes, everyday problems,and environmental problems. Check thatstudents have given a suitable example ofeach type of stressor.

5. Lists of stressors will vary. The same stressorsmay be positive or negative to differentstudents.

EvaluateThese assignments can help you assessstudents’ mastery of the section content.

Section 1 ReviewAnswers appear below.

Teaching Resources• Practice 3-1• Section 3-1 Quiz

ReteachUsing the board or an overhead trans-parency, work with students to make aconcept map of major types of stressors.Then call on students to add severalexamples of each type of stressor to the concept map. Ask students to copythe completed concept map into theirnotebooks.

Enrich

Teaching Resources• Enrich 3-1

L4

L2

6. Sample answer: Getting your driver’slicense gives you the ability to bemuch more independent.

7. Both are highly stressful. Major life changes are usually expected;they can be positive or negative. Acatastrophe is unexpected andalmost always negative.

Section 1 Review

Managing Stress 59

Environmental Problems Conditions in yourimmediate surroundings affect your level of stress eachday. Suppose, for example, that you commute to school onan overcrowded subway or bus. Your level of stress mightbe quite high by the time you arrive at school. If you thenhave to hunt for a book in a messy locker, your level ofstress will continue to rise.

A major stressor that occurs all around you but is oftenoverlooked is noise. People who live near airports showsigns of high stress levels due to the noise of airplanestaking off and landing. Living near an elevated commuterrail or a busy highway can have a similar effect.

Living in unsafe or crowded conditions also tends toincrease feelings of stress. So does living where the air qual-ity is poor or where litter collects on sidewalks. Weatherconditions can also contribute to stress. During a heat waveor a long spell of freezing temperatures, people may feelincreased stress. This may be because they feel cooped upindoors. Or they may be stressed because they cannotafford to keep the temperature indoors as cool or as warmas they might like it to be.

Section 1 Review

Key Ideas and Vocabulary1. What is stress? Explain how stress can be both

positive and negative.

2. When do people experience stress?

3. What is meant by the term stressor?

4. List the four general types of stressors and give anexample of each type.

Critical Thinking5. Applying Concepts List five stressful experiences

that you have faced in the past two weeks. Next toeach, note whether it was a positive or a negativeexperience for you.

6. Classifying Explain why getting your driver’slicense could be classified as a major life change.

7. Comparing and Contrasting How is a catastrophesimilar to a major life change? How is it different?

FIGURE 3 Adding something attractiveto the neighborhood can help to reducestress. These teens are painting a mural.

CommunityHealth and

Noise Pollution Does your community have anyregulations related to noise? If so, do theregulations vary with time of day or location?Sources of noise that might be regulated areradios, car exhausts, power lawnmowers, andblasting for construction. Write a paragraphsummarizing your findings.

Noise Pollution Introduce the activityby describing some health problemsassociated with noise pollution, suchas hearing damage and loss of sleep.Suggest that students contact theirlocal police department, town or cityhall, or representative for informationon local noise regulations. Remindstudents of specific sources of noise in their community, such as trains orairports, that might be regulated. Iftheir community does not have noiseregulations, students can go online to find noise regulations for othercommunities.

Health and Community

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