The DOI matches its Crossref record; 126 of the 126 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Arousal and physiological toughness: implications for mental and physical health
Abstract
From W.B. Cannon's identification of adrenaline with "fight or flight" to modern views of stress, negative views of peripheral physiological arousal predominate. Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) arousal is associated with anxiety, neuroticism, the Type A personality, cardiovascular disease, and immune system suppression; illness susceptibility is associated with life events requiring adjustments. "Stress control" has become almost synonymous with arousal reduction. A contrary positive view of peripheral arousal follows from studies of subjects exposed to intermittent stressors. Such exposure leads to low SNS arousal base rates, but to strong and responsive challenge- or stress-induced SNS-adrenal-medullary arousal, with resistance to brain catecholamine depletion and with suppression of pituitary adrenal-cortical responses. That pattern of arousal defines physiological toughness and, in interaction with psychological coping, corresponds with positive performance in even complex tasks, with emotional stability, and with immune system enhancement. The toughness concept suggests an opposition between effective short- and long-term coping, with implications for effective therapies and stress-inoculating life-styles.
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In the citing paper
“Furthermore, in some contexts, SNS activation is greater in challenge than threat states, consistent with Dienstbier’s idea of physiological toughness, which suggests that larger increases in SNS activation to novel situations is related to effective coping and better performance (see also Jamieson et al., 2010).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Dienstbier, 1989
In the citing paper
“Indeed, consistent with the challenge and threat framework, the greater the SNS increase the better the math performance (see also Dienstbier, 1989, for additional examples).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Dienstbier, 1989
In the citing paper
“Indeed, Dientsbier in reviewing decades of arousal and cognitive performance (test-taking) data concluded “despite the high difficulty level…these data indicate no curvilinear relations; naturally evoked peripheral catecholamines never seem to be too high for optimal performance” (page 86).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Dienstbier, 1989
In the citing paper
“When responding to a novel event, a typical psychological and physiologic response would include an initial strong activation that coordinates metabolic systems to contend with the task at hand, and also fairly quick habituation (represented by the blue line), which has been labeled a “physiologically tough” response (Dienstbier, 1989).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Dienstbier, 1989
Citations
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Bavel, J. J. V., Baicker, K., Boggio, P. S., Capraro, V., Cichocka, A., Cikara, M., Crockett, M. J., Crum, A. J., Douglas, K. M., Druckman, J. N., et al. (2020) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-020-0884-z · Cited by 4,964
Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back From Negative Emotional Experiences.
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Metadata
- Authors
- Dienstbier, R. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US)
- Corresponding author
- Dienstbier, Richard A.
- Venue
- Psychological Review
- Published
- 1989
- Volume
- 96
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 84-100
- ISSN
- 0033-295X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1471
- OpenAlex
- W2015107972
- Semantic Scholar
- 26d83a4f9e1414887b7df117f6ad1f9b2ca99287
- Cited by
- 909
- References
- 126
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 40 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 49 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 33
- FWCI
- 4.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Lincoln (University of Nebraska) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
- Keywords
- physiological arousal, sympathetic nervous system, stress, stress inoculation training, coping, catecholamines, immune enhancement, emotional stability, performance, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, neuroticism, Type A behavior pattern, stress management
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adrenal Cortex, Adrenal Medulla, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Arousal, Disease Susceptibility, Epinephrine, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Norepinephrine, Psychophysiologic Disorders, Sympathetic Nervous System
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