Question

Illustrate the concepts of primary and secondary appraisal in the context of a college level speaking assignment.

Answer 1

People respond differently to stressful situations. Primary and secondary appraisal are concepts that help determine how we react to stressors. In case of a stressful event, a person first tries to see whether the situation is threatening to them and/or their personal goals or is it an opportunity.( primary appraisal). Once perceived as a threat or an opportunity, the person tries to determine if they have the resources to cope with the demands of the stressful situation. ( secondary appraisal)

Example: college-level speaking assignment.

Leia has to perform a speaking assignment as a part of her college curriculum. If she is afraid of speaking in public, she will perceive this assignment as a threat (primary appraisal). Then Leia tries to determine whether she will be able to face this situation by analyzing her resources.i,e, is she well prepared for her speech or not, she might utter statements such as '' I can do this '', '' I will give it my best shot '' ( positive secondary appraisal) or she might not show up for the assignment and say things like '' I cant do it '', ''I will surely fail''. ( negative secondary appraisal).

On the other hand, If Leia takes it as a challenge (primary appraisal) she will experience positive stress. In which case, see the speaking assignment as an opportunity to grow and learn and realizing that she has ample resources to cope with it (secondary appraisal) no stress is evoked in the first place.