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A Definition of Stress?

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Animal Stress

Abstract

One of the primary purposes of this book is to examine the issue of animal welfare, particularly in terms of the effects of stress on the behavior and health of laboratory animals. My chapter defines the concept of stress. I am not certain whether one who undertakes this task either has an enormous ego, is immeasurably stupid, or is totally mad. Attempts at definitions of stress have bewildered many an illustrious scholar, and there is no reason to assume that I will be any more adept at accomplishing such a definition. One of the major problems is that most of the definitions have dealt with outcomes, and therefore stress has been defined by either a behavioral or a physiological response. The behavioral responses have been paradoxical, so agitated animals and immobilized animals are both considered stressed. Similarly, vocalizing animals and nonvocalizing animals are also both considered stressed. It would be difficult to list all of the physiological measures that have at some time been used as indices of stress. Overwhelmingly these have included aspects of the endocrine system as well as autonomic responses, temperature changes, and changes in brain activity. Unfortunately the behavioral and physiological sequelae of stress are not always in accord. Furthermore the various physiological indices of stress, when examined simultaneously, indicate that the changes in terms of magnitude and direction are not always concordant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA

    Seymour Levine

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  1. Seymour Levine
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science and California Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California, USA

    Gary P. Moberg

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© 1985 American Physiological Society

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Levine, S. (1985). A Definition of Stress?. In: Moberg, G.P. (eds) Animal Stress. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7544-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7544-6_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7544-6

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