Two Experiential Orientations Toward a Stressful Situation and Their Related Somatic and Visceral Responses

Abstract

ABSTRACT Experiential orientations toward a stressor, a threat of very painful electric shock, were found to be related to some visceral and somatic responses. Under such conditions, subjects either attempted to confront or avoid the stressor. Moreover, in the stress situation, a confronting orientation showed significantly higher trapezius electromyograms (EMGs) when compared to an avoiding orientation, and avoiding significantly higher heart rates (HRs) when compared to confronting. The existence of stress in this situation was based upon both physiological changes toward activation and subject feedback (i.e., self reports). Attention targets were suggested as another way of conceptualizing these two experiential orientations. The results indicated that these specific stress orientations expressed themselves in the body through specific physiological response profiles.