© 2013 cengage learning chapter 7 stress and well-being at work learning outcomes 1.define stress,...

© 2013 Cengage Learning

Chapter 7Stress and Well-Being at

WorkL

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ing

Ou

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mes 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.

Learning OutcomeLearning Outcome

Define stress, distress, and strain.


1

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



Compare four different approaches to stress.


2

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



Explain the psychophysiology of the stress response.


3

The Stress ResponseRelease of chemical

messengers

Activation of sympathetic nervous and

endocrine systems



How often do the following happen to you? Always (3), often (2), sometimes (1), or never (0)? Rate each statement on a scale from 0 to 3, as honestly as you can and without spending too much time on any one statement.

Am I Overstressed?1. I have to make important snap judgments and decisions.2. I am not consulted about what happens on my job or in my classes.3. I feel I am underpaid.4. I feel that no matter how hard I work, the system will mess it up.5. I do not get along with some of my coworkers or fellow students.6. I do not trust my superiors at work or my professors at school.7. The paperwork burden on my job or at school is getting to me.8. I feel people outside the job or the university do not respect what I do.

Record your score as the sum of your responses.

Beyond the Book:Stress Check


How often do the following happen to you? Always (3), often (2), sometimes (1), or never (0)? Rate each statement on a scale from 0 to 3, as honestly as you can and without spending too much time on any one statement.

Am I Angry?1. I feel that people around me make too many irritating mistakes.2. I feel annoyed because I do good work or perform well in school, but no one appreciates it.3. When people make me angry, I tell them off.4. When I am angry, I say things I know will hurt people.5. I lose my temper easily.6. I feel like striking out at someone who angers me.7. When a coworker or fellow student makes a mistake, I tell him or her about it.8. I cannot stand being criticized in public.

Record your score as the sum of your responses, and add it to your score from the previous section.



To find your level of anger and potential for aggressive behavior, add your scores from both quiz parts.40–48: The red flag is waving, and you had better pay attention. You are in the danger zone. You need guidance from a counselor or mental health professional, and you should be getting it now.30–39: The yellow flag is up. Your stress and anger levels are too high, and you

are feeling increasingly hostile. You are still in control, but it would not take much to trigger a violent flare of temper.10–29: Relax, you are in the broad normal range. Like most people, you get angry occasionally, but usually with some justification. Sometimes you take overt action, but you are not likely to be unreasonably or excessively aggressive. 0–9: Congratulations! You are in great shape. Your stress and anger are well

under control, giving you a laid-back personality not prone to violence.



Identify work and nonwork causes of stress.


4

Sources of Stress: Work Demands


Stress Source: Nonwork Demands



Describe the consequences of stress.


5

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 – a cost associated with absenteeism, tardiness, strikes and work stoppages, and turnover

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

Compensation Award – an organizational cost resulting from court awards for job distress


Recent European studies on worker stress show disturbing trends:

• Companies in the United Kingdom lose 13.7 million working days per year due to stress, causing £28.3 billion ($47.4 billion) in productivity losses.

• More than 25% of workers in the UK describe their mental health as moderate or poor.

• So far in 2009, 25 employees of France Telecom have committed suicide.

Beyond the Book:Stressed-out in Europe



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


6


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-Reliance

Self-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.



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


7

Preventative Stress Management

an organizational philosophy

according to which people and

organizations should take joint

responsibility for promoting

health and preventing distress

and strain

© 2013 Cengage Learning© 2013 Cengage Learning

Preventative Stress Management

Primary Prevention – the stage in preventive stress management designed to reduce, modify, or eliminate the demand or stressor

Secondary Prevention – the stage in preventive stress management designed to alter or modify the individual’s or the organization’s response to a demand or stressor

Tertiary Prevention – the stage in preventive stress management designed to heal individual or organizational symptoms of distress and strain


Preventative Stress Maintenance



• Staff at a Nova Scotia prison tried to relieve their work stress by taunting and abusing inmates.

• Various companies sell “relaxation” drinks that promise to help consumers unwind. One of them appears to evoke the effects of marijuana.

• Some employees gossip about a co-worker to express their negative attitudes about them.

Beyond the Book:Non-effective Stress Relief Techniques


Organizational Stress Prevention

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


Job Strain Model


Social Support at Work and Home


SOURCE: J. C. Quick, J. D. Quick, D. L. Nelson, and J. J. Hurrell, Jr., Preventive Stress Management in Organizations (Washington, D.C.:American Psychological Association, 1997), 198. Reprinted with permission.

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


The Upside of Anger

1. Separately assess the stressors affecting Terry and Denny. View Part I for Terry and Part II for Denny.

2. Are Terry and Denny having a distress or eustress response? Give examples of behavior in the film sequences to support your observations.

3. Review the section, “The Consequences of Stress.” What consequences do you observe or predict for Terry and Denny?


http://www.cengage.com/management/webtutor/nq_orgb2/bf/ch07.html

http://www.cengage.com/management/webtutor/nq_orgb2/bf/ch07.html

Modern Shed

1. How might being an outside contractor add stress to Scott Pearl’s job?

2. How does Scott Pearl’s person-environment fit affect his responses to stressors?

3. Is Scott Pearl’s goal setting an example of primary, secondary, or tertiary preventive stress management? Explain.


http://www.cengage.com/management/webtutor/daft_mgt10e/video/ojt/ch07.html

© 2013 cengage learning chapter 7 stress and well-being at work learning outcomes 1.define stress,...

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