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Stress can be reduced when people feel good about their decisions.
Allow me to recount the story of William Golding's 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature for his book, "Lord of the Flies."
A number of British schoolboys became stranded on a tropical island and were left to their own devices. Anarchy developed. When anarchy reigns, someone is bound to take the leadership. Jack and Ralph, two of the older boys, started making the rules; they became the bosses and began bullying the other boys.
In the Hierarchy of Social Development, Anarchy (Level A) and Bullying (Level B) are the lowest and unacceptable levels.
When people have the vocabulary of these concepts, it allows them to articulate, call attention to, and resist these unacceptable behaviors—including teasing, ostracizing, and other mean activities in which some young people engage. When people can resist these lower levels, they become empowered, which always feels god and is stress-reducing.
Young people especially often face a challenge between being cooperative or doing what is right. Understanding one's motivation plays a key role here.
Moving up the Hierarchy of Social Development, we can refer to the two higher levels as external motivation (Level C-Cooperation) and internal motivation (Level D-Democracy, taking the initiative to do what is right regardless of outside influences).
People who do what is right—rather than cooperating in irresponsible activities—are more autonomous, feel good about their motivation and behavior, and generally live with a clearer conscience and less stress.
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