Developmental stress is associated with life stages such as college graduation. Which category of stress does this illustrate?

• A. Distress
• B. Eustress
• C. Developmental
• D. Situational

Answer: (C)

Developmental stress arises from normal life-stage transitions that mark growth, such as graduating from college and moving into a new phase of adulthood. This kind of stress is tied to expected changes in development and the responsibilities that come with them, rather than to a single negative incident or an external problem. Graduation, in particular, embodies a milestone in growth that can bring excitement, anticipation, and some anxiety about the future, which fits the idea of developmental stress. While positive aspects of stress can be described as eustress, the category here specifically reflects stress linked to developmental milestones. Distress describes harmful, detrimental stress, and situational stress refers to stress from a specific outside event, not a normal life-stage progression.