Identify the stages of General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye):(A) Alarm…

Identify the stages of General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye):

(A) Alarm reaction stage

(B) Exhaustion stage

(D) Resistance stage

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → (A), (B), and (D) only

Selye found a similar pattern of bodily response to prolonged stress in all his subjects and called it the General Adaptation Syndrome. It has three stages.

(A) Alarm reaction stage Correct. The first stage: a stressor activates the adrenal-pituitary-cortex system, hormones producing the stress response are released, and the person is ready for fight or flight.

(B) Exhaustion stage Correct. The third stage: continued exposure to the stressor drains the body of its resources, and susceptibility to stress-related diseases rises.

(C) Reaction stage Incorrect. The model has no stage of this name; ‘reaction’ is half of the name of the first stage, the alarm reaction.

(D) Resistance stage Correct. The second stage: if stress is prolonged, the parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the body’s resources and the organism tries to cope with the threat.

NCERT (2025-26): “General Adaptation Syndrome … What happens to the body when stress is prolonged? Selye studied this issue by subjecting animals to a variety of stressors such as high temperature, X-rays and insulin injections, in the laboratory over a long period of time. He also observed patients with various injuries and illnesses in hospitals. Selye noticed a similar pattern of bodily response in all of them. He called this patter n the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). According to him, GAS involves three stages: alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion (see Fig.3.3).

1. Alarm reaction stage : The presence of a noxious stimulus or stressor leads to activation of the adrenalpituitary-cortex system. This triggers the release of hormones producing the stress response. Now the individual is ready for fight or flight.
2. Resistance stage : If stress is prolonged, the resistance stage begins. The parasympathetic nervous system calls for mor e cautious use of the body’s resources. The organism makes efforts to cope with the threat, as through confrontation.
3. Exhaustion stage : Continued exposure to the same stressor or additional stressors drains the body of its resources and leads to the third stage of exhaustion. The physiological systems involved in alarm reaction and resistance become inef fective and susceptibility to stress-related diseases such as high blood pressure becomes more likely.…”

NCERT extract