Which term refers to positive stress?

• A. Eustress
• B. Distress
• C. Physiological
• D. Psychological

Answer: (A)

Positive stress, called eustress, is the kind of stress you perceive as within your control and the kind that motivates you to rise to a challenge. When you experience eustress, the situation feels energizing rather than overwhelming, so it tends to sharpen focus, boost motivation, and improve performance. This often happens with short-term, manageable challenges—like a demanding training scenario or a high-stakes but solvable incident—where you feel prepared and capable of handling what comes next. In policing and similar fields, eustress can heighten alertness and decisiveness during critical tasks.

Distress, in contrast, is negative stress that drains energy and impairs performance. The terms physiological and psychological describe domains—bodily processes or mental processes—rather than the nature of the stress itself, so they don’t denote positive stress.