Marie sat quietly in the back of the class feeling relaxed, even though this was her first college class. “Here goes; this is the beginning of my future,” she excitedly thought. As the teacher walked to the front of the room, Marie suIDenly felt dizzy and broke into a cold sweat Marie was undergoing the first phase of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Although she did not consciously realize it, she was stressed over beginning her college career. As the teacher walked in, Marie’s body began the “fight or flight” response of the alarm stage. In this situation, the stress response is inappropriate and Marie is experiencing a panic attack. What was specifically happening to Marie? Research the stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) and explain in detail the physiological events happening to Marie. What is the natural course of these events of the General Adaptation Syndrome? Think about your own experiences. Describe an incident where your system activated the ‘fight or flight response’. What caused this reaction? How did you feel? What was the outcome? Be sure to explain in your example how many of the GAS stages you experienced.
