© 2011 cengage learning. all rights reserved. chapter 7 stress and well-being at work learning...

© 2011 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Chapter 7Stress and Well-Being at

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1. Define stress, distress, and strain.

2. Compare four different approaches to stress.

3. Explain the psychophysiology of the stress response.

4. Identify work and nonwork causes of stress.

5. Describe the consequences of stress.

6. Discuss individual factors that influence a person’s response to stress and strain.

7. Identify the stages and elements of preventive stress management for individuals and organizations.


What Is Stress?

[Stress] – the unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a person experiences when faced with any demand

[Stressor ] – the person or event that triggers the stress response

[Distress (or strain)] – the adverse psychological, physical, behavioral, and organizational consequences that may arise as a result of stressful events

Homeostatic/Medical

Stress occurs when an external demand upsets an individual’s natural, steady-state

balance.

4 APPROACHES TO STRESS



• Individuals differ in their appraisal of events and people

• What is stressful for one person is not for another

• Perception and cognitive appraisal determines what is stressful

COGNITIVE APPRAISAL


Problem-focused copingemphasizes managing the stressor

COGNITIVE APPRAISAL

Emotion-focused copingemphasizes managing your response

• Confusing and conflicting expectations in a social role create stress.

• Good person-environment fit occurs when one’s skills and abilities match a clearly defined set of role expectations.

• Stress occurs when expectations are confusing or when they conflict with one’s skills.

PERSON-ENVIRONMENT FIT


PSYCHOANALYTIC

STRESS

Discrepancy between the idealized selfand the real self-image

© 2011Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

The Stress Response

Release of chemical messengers


Activation of sympathetic nervous and

endocrine systems

Sources of Stress: Work Demands


Stress Source: Nonwork Demands



Positive Stress

• Stress response itself is neutral• Some stressful activities (aerobic

exercise, etc.) can enhance a person’s ability to manage stressful demands or situations

• Stress can provide a needed energy boost

Yerkes-Dodson Law


Individual Distress

Work-related psychological disordersWork-related psychological disorders(depression, burnout, (depression, burnout,

psychosomatic disorders)psychosomatic disorders)

Medical illness

(heart disease, strokes,

headaches, backaches)

Behavioral problems

Behavioral problems(substance abuse,

(substance abuse,violence, accidents)

violence, accidents)



Organizational Distress

Participative Problems –absenteeism, tardiness, strikes, and turnover

Performance Decrement –poor quality or low quantity of production, grievances, and unscheduled machine downtime and repair

Compensation Award –court awards for job distress


Individual Differences

Achilles’ heel phenomenon – –

a person breaks down at his or her weakest point

Gender Effects

Sexual HarassmentVulnerabilities



Type A Behavior Patterns

• Competitiveness• Time urgency• Social Status Insecurity• Aggression• Hostility• Quest for achievements


Personality Hardiness

[Personality Hardiness]– challenge (versus threat)– commitment (versus alienation)– control (versus powerlessness)

[Transformational Coping] active process of modifying one’s perception of an event in order to reduce stress.


Self-RelianceSelf-Reliance – a healthy, secure, interdependent pattern

of behavior related to how people form and maintain supportive attachments with others

Counterdependence – an unhealthy, insecure pattern of behavior that leads to separation in relationships with other people

Overdependence – an unhealthy, insecure pattern of behavior that leads to preoccupied attempts to achieve security through relationships.


an organizational philosophy that holds that

people & organizations should take joint

responsibility for promoting health and

preventing distress and strain

Preventative Stress Management


Organizational philosophy according to which people and organizations should take joint

responsibility for promoting health and preventing distress.

Primary Prevention – designed to reduce, modify, or eliminate the demand or stressor

Secondary Prevention – designed to alter or modify the response to a demand or stressor

Tertiary Prevention – designed to heal symptoms of distress and strain

Preventative Stress Management

Preventative Stress Maintenance



Organizational Stress Prevention

• Job redesign• Goal setting• Role negotiation• Social support systems

Job Strain Model


Social Support at Work and Home


Individual Preventive Stress Management



What Can Managers Do?

• Learn how to create healthy stress without distress

• Help employees adjust to new technologies

• Be sensitive to early signs of distress• Be aware of gender, personality, and

behavioral differences• Use principles and methods of preventive

stress management

© 2011 cengage learning. all rights reserved. chapter 7 stress and well-being at work learning...

Documents

cengage learning

consequences of stress

situations stress

homeostaticmedical stress

sources of stress

stress source

stress response distress

response slide