What was Dr. Hans Selye's contribution to the study of stress?

Choice A rationale While a questionnaire could be a useful tool, it was not Dr. Hans Selye's primary contribution. His work was foundational in defining the physiological response to stress itself, not just in creating a measurement instrument. He described the biological, not just the psychological, mechanisms involved in the body's reaction to stressors. Choice B rationale The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) was developed by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, not Hans Selye. This scale measures stress based on life events and is a tool to assess the psychological impact of stressors. Selye's work focused on the physiological, nonspecific response of the body to any stressor, regardless of its nature. Choice C rationale Dr. Selye's seminal work established the General Adaption Syndrome (GAS). He described the three distinct stages that the body undergoes in response to a stressor: the alarm stage (initial shock and mobilization of resources), the resistance stage (coping with the stressor), and the exhaustion stage (depletion of resources and potential for illness). Choice D rationale Selye described the resistance stage as the body's continued physiological response to cope with the stressor, where it attempts to return to homeostasis. This stage is not defined by the use of psychological defense mechanisms to avoid confrontation, but rather by the sustained physiological effort of the body to adapt to the ongoing stress.