The degree of stress experienced by an individual in a given situation depends not only
on the objective properties of the stressor (e.g., intensity, frequency, duration), the
individual's perception and processing of the event, and one's personal coping
resources and strategies in transacting with environmental stressors, but also on the
specific context and period of one's life cycle in which environmental demands are
experienced. Accordingly, certain events, social environments and contexts in a
person's life may be perceived as more stressful than others. A case in point is the
first year college experience.