The concept of stress, from the point of view of both research and practitioner, is a highly complex phenomenon because of the intercorrelations of physiological and psychosocial processes. The biological evidence indicates that stress causes a variety of changes within our physical systems, most notably disruption of tissue function through neuro-hormonal influences under stress. Stressful events can contribute to the secretion of high levels of hormones causing such physiological changes as heightened blood pressure or sweating. The psychological correlations of stress are much less clear. Most psychologists prefer to use the term "anxiety" to describe psychological stress. The major area of concern surrounding the psychological view of stress as anxiety lies with its measurement. Anxiety can be viewed as a function of personality factors or traits or situational factors, or it may be seen as a combination of both personality and situation. It appears that this interactional viewpoint, indicating a correlational relationship between the nature of the person and the situation, provides a more complete perspective about the nature of the stress experience. Finally, there are a number of both proactive and reactive strategies which can be undertaken to reduce the effects of this stress. 5 tables, 94 references. (Author abstract modified)