Explain the terms "stress" and "stressor." Discuss three factors that influence stress and complicate its study.

What will be an ideal response?

Stress is the response to any demand placed on an organism. Those events that create stress are called stressors. An individual's response to a given stressor is influenced by both internal and external factors, so no two people will respond in the same way to the same event, and a given person's response may not always be the same. The impact of a stressor is largely determined by coping skills, an individual's perception of the stressor, the number of other stressors the individual is facing, and any existing predisposition to stress vulnerability. GRADING RUBRIC: 10 points total, 2 points for defining "stress," 2 points for defining "stressor," and 2 points for each factor