Being confronted by an intruder who has broken into your house late at night is best described as a (n)

Being confronted by an intruder who has broken into your house late at night is best described as a stressor.

Stressors are experiences that are lived and perceived as a threat in any aspect of one's life. These situations are extremely challenging and render the person unable to deal with them. By exceeding the person's capacity or his/her perception of available resources to face the events stressors become the cause of stress.