Stress: A Brief History is a lively, accessible, and detailed examination of the origins of the field of stress research. * First concise, accessible, academically grounded book on the origins of the concept of stress. * Explores different theories and models of stress such as the psychosomatic approach, homeostasis, and general adaptation syndrome. * Discusses the work and intriguing contributions of key researchers in the field such as Walter Cannon, Hans Selye, Harold Wolff, and Richard Lazarus. * Explains the origins of key concepts in stress such as stressful life events, the coronary-prone personality, and appraisals and coping. * Culminates in a discussion of what makes a good theory and what obligations stress researchers have to those whose working lives they study.