In the General Adaptation Syndrome, what happens when coping resources become depleted?

• A. The person enters the Alarm stage
• B. The person enters the Resistance stage
• C. The person enters the Exhaustion stage
• D. The person recovers immediately

Answer: (C)

When coping resources become depleted, the body moves into the Exhaustion stage—the final phase of the General Adaptation Syndrome. Early on, stress triggers Alarm, the fight-or-flight response that rapidly mobilizes energy. If the stress continues, the body enters Resistance, trying to cope with the demand through sustained physiological adaptations. But as resources run low and those defenses are overextended, the system can no longer maintain functioning, leading to Exhaustion. In this stage, energy is depleted and vulnerabilities rise—fatigue, illness, burnout, and impaired performance become more likely. So the Exhaustion stage is the point where coping resources are exhausted, which is why it best fits the scenario. Alarm is the initial mobilization, and Resistance is the ongoing coping phase, not depletion; immediate recovery is not what the GAS sequence describes.