My question about stress and pressure again

Question

Hi,According to the answer from Vorpar, stress is more of a state of mind, while pressure is the external force.I'm confused why 'stress' and 'pressure' mean the same in the  examples below?Do they refer to a state of mind or external force here?1.the pressures/stress of modern life. 2.The pressure/stress on doctors is increasing steadily.3.a high pressure/stressPlease help with my confusionThanks a lot.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

I think it's perfectly okay to use "stress" in the physics/engineering sense when talking about people.

When steel is manufactured, the process often sets up areas of stress which are retained by the finished product - clearly internal. This may then be optionally relieved by a secondary process.
When the steel is later used in some application, it will undoubtedly experience "external" stresses.

Analogy is the weakest form or argument, but similarly, a person may have internal emotional stress, or stress may be applied externally to his "awareness."

If a guy goes on a stress-free vacation, he may still be miserable because he can't stop thinking about his problems. Are these stresses internal or external?? It all depends on your definitions.

I think your three examples refer to external force rather than to a state of mind.

When the doctor places you on the treadmill to give you a "stress test," he is applying external stress to see how you respond.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to separate the emotional effects of stress from the "purely physical" effects of stress, because the emotions trigger the release of chemicals into the blood stream, which in turn effect the operation of various organs. And the organs release chemicals into the blood stream which in turn effect the emotions.

If you subject a person to external stress/pressure, and he is completely unaffected by it, we say he's very good at dealing with stress.
But how do you measure that? Can you measure his emotional stress by checking his blood pressure? Must he go screaming out of the room and shoot himself?
Scientists are just beginning to get a handle on these things. Monitoring blood chemicals and brainwaves tells us a lot.

In the meantime, we'll just have to be patient until scientists tell us where stress is really located.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Avangi,
Thank you very much for your post.
I still have some confusion about them.
Do you mean 'stress' means 'external force' in these examples:

1.the stress of modern life.
2.The stress on doctors is increasing steadily.
3.a high stress job.

Thanks a lot.

Avangi · Answer

Anonymous Do you mean 'stress' means 'external force' in these examples:
1.the stress of modern life.
2.The stress on doctors is increasing steadily.
3.a high stress job. Yes, I do.
The stress is there (externally), regardless of how the individual deals with it.
Different analysts may construct different models using different terms in different ways, when attempting to explain how the individual responds to external forces.
I don't think there's anything about the words "stress" and "pressure" which would require an analyst to use one for external and the other for internal.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Avangi,
Thank you very much for your reply.
As you said, 'stress' can refer to 'external force' like 'pressure', but why can't they be interchangeable in some cases when they mean 'external force'--the same thing, such as the examples below?

eg.1 "He's under lots of pressure because his wife is very ill."

Is it fine to use 'stress' when referring to 'external force' or emotional response to pressure here?

eg.2 "I'd like to help out, but I really haven't got time--pressure of work, you know!"

Why doesn't 'stress' work here but works in 'the stress of modern life'?

eg.3 "He works best under pressure"

Why is 'stress' not fine here?

Thanks a lot.

Avangi · Answer

We seem to be agreeing on this.

However, the use of "stress" as applied to living things is almost always used as a pejorative, while "pressure" is sometimes not. (your eg.2, for example; and to a lesser extent, your eg.3)
You can portray pressure as a good thing.
I get the feeling that your guy in #2 is really a workaholic, and is glad for the excuse not to "help out."
And in #3, this guy needs pressure.
Some race horses and "olympic" runners don't perform at their best unless they're pushed.
"Push" obviously means "pressure" in these cases. "Stress" might not be appropriate.
Internal stress is often viewed as an emotional "low," but athletes when pressured often experience an emotional "high."
What about the boxer who loves pain?

Anyway, "pressure" and "stress" may describe the same phenomenon. But if you wish to show it as a good thing, "pressure" works better than "stress."

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Avangi,

Many thanks for your clear and helpful explanation.
Here are three examples, could you please tell me if 'stress' means 'external force' in these cases?
Can I use 'pressure' instead of 'stress' here?

1.Worry over his job and his wife's health put him under a great stress.

2.The stress of the new job was too much for Tim, so he requested reassignment to his old position in the company.

3.He worried that Andy couldn't handle the stress of his own recovery, his son's paralysis, working, and two women.

Thanks a lot.

Avangi · Answer

Anonymous 1.Worry over his job and his wife's health put him under a great stress. I'd call it external. You can use "pressure" here, but it would be more idiomatic to say "put him under a great deal (amount) of pressure / stress."

"Under a great pressure" seems less common to me than "under a great stress," but with the change I suggest, both are common.

2.The stress of the new job was too much for Tim, so he requested reassignment to his old position in the company. External. "Pressure" is fine here.

3.He worried that Andy couldn't handle the stress of his own recovery, his son's paralysis, working, and two women. This is a grey area. In my opinion it could be taken either way. We might give some ground to Vopar here. "Pressure" works quite naturally in the sentence; but I get the sense that "pressure" is clearly external, while "stress" could also be taken as his reaction to the external pressure. There's something about the accumulation of "pressure factors" which suggests he might finally be overcome by internal stress.
Sorry I can't explain it more clearly. It's an impression.
Sometimes the way we're accustomed to hearing words used effects us more than what we read in the dictionary.

Anonymous · Answer

Avangi We might give some ground to Vopar here.

Hi Avangi,

Could you tell me what it means?

Many thanks for all your great help!

Avangi · Answer

AnonymousAccording to the answer from Vorpar, stress is more of a state of mind, while pressure is the external force.

I guess "give ground to" is a war fighting metaphor. In the old fashioned wars, you fought over a piece of ground. "To give ground" would be "to give up some ground." Sometimes you win some ground, but then you have to give it back.
Actually I never read Vopar's post. I don't even know where it is.
But as we get deeper into this, I have to agree that there are a few situations where it seems like "pressure" applies to external forces and "stress" to internal.

Best regards, - A.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Avangi,

Thank you a million for your answer. Could you please help we with these questins below:

1."He's under lots of stress because his wife is very ill."

Do you think 'stress' means external or internal force here?

2."What do you usually do to relieve stress?"

Does stress mean internal force here?
Is it fine to say 'what do you usually do to relieve pressure'?

3."Tom is a nervous wreck as he has been under a lot of pressure recently."

Can I use 'stress' instead of 'pressure' here without changing the meaning (if the 'pressure' is a bad thing for him)?

My question about stress and pressure again

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