Sleep and Anger.

Essay by faraziboyUniversity, Bachelor'sA-, September 2003

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Sleep and Anger

Stress and Anger have always been related with each other. There have

been countless studies, even more theories, about stress and anger

and how they relate. But, no matter how many studies are conducted,

there will always be the questions about whether or not stress and anger

are related. But, I am here to provide the facts on both stress and

anger, and then allow you, as the reader, to determine the relationship,

because all-in-all, I feel that stress and anger can and cant be related,

depending on the circumstance.

If psychologists completely understood how stress and fears developed,

we would know how to produce and reduce a phobia or an anxiety state. We

don't. There seems to be a wide variety of life experiences which result

in some form of stress, fear, anxiety, or psychosomatic illness. It would

be convenient if life were simpler but it isn't.

Perhaps a summary will

help you review the ways you might become stressed and anxious Changes,

such as sudden trauma, several big crises, or many small daily hassles,

cause stress. Intense stress years earlier, especially in childhood,

can predispose us to over-react to current stress. Events, such as

barriers and conflicts that prevent the changes and goals we want, create

stress. Having little control over our lives, e.g. being on the assembly

line instead of the boss, contrary to popular belief, often increases

stress and illness. Many environmental factors, including excessive

or impossible demands, noise, boring or lonely work, stupid rules,

unpleasant people, etc., cause stress. Conflicts in our interpersonal

relationships cause stress directly and can eventually cause anxieties

and emotional disorders.

The human body has different ways of responding to stress; one

quick responding nerve-hormonal system involving adrenaline, another

long-lasting system involving cortisol, and perhaps others. These

systems not only determine the intensity of our anxiety reactions but

also our attitudes, energy level, depression, and physical health after

the stressful events are over. As individuals, our nervous systems

differ; however, according to Richard Dienstbier at the University

of Nebraska, we may be able to modify our unique physiological

reactions by learning coping skills. The genetic, constitutional,

and intrauterine factors influence stress. Some of us may have been

born nervous and grouches. Almost certainly we are by nature prone to

be shy or outgoing, and we inherit a propensity for certain serious

psychological disorders. We don't know yet if different treatments are

required for genetically determined problems than for learned problems.

Having a bad experience causes us to later be stressed in that situation,

i.e. pairing a neutral stimulus with a painful, scary experience will

condition a fear response to the previously neutral stimulus. Fears and

other weaknesses may yield payoffs; the payoffs (like attention or

dependency) cause the fear to grow. Avoiding frightening situations

may reinforce and build fears and stress.

Seeing others afraid and being warned of real or nonexistent dangers can

make us afraid under certain conditions. (modeling) This can include

seeing a movie or TV or reading a book or perhaps just fantasizing

a danger. Some people have learned to see things negatively; they have

a mental set that causes them to see threats and personal failure when

others do not. Of course, seeing the situation as negative (terrible),

unpredictable, uncontrollable, or ambiguous is stressful. Many

long-lasting personality factors (neuroticism, pessimism, distrust, lack

of flexibility and confidence) are related to stress, decision-making,

and physiological responses. Having a negative self-concept--expecting

to be nervous and a loser--generates stress. Irrational ideas about

how things should be or must be can cause stress when we perceive

that life is not unfolding as we think it should. Believing that

we are helpless, that we can't handle the situation causes stress.

Drawing faulty conclusions from our observations, such as scary ideas,

like they dont like me" or "Im inferior to them, or having unreasonable

fantasies of awful consequences (Ill be mugged") increase our fears and

restrict our activities. Pushing yourself to excel and/or failing to

achieve a desired goal and ones ideal lead to stress. Assigning fault

for bad events, i.e. placing blame on self or on others, causes stress

and anger. Realizing we may have been wrong but wanting to be right

stresses most of us. Careful, logical decision-makers are usually calm