Ch.6: Stress

Question 1

behavioural coping

Answer 1

physical activities used to deal with a stressful situation

Question 2

behavioural strains

Answer 2

patterns of negative behaviours associated with other strains

Question 3

benign job demands

Answer 3

job demands that are not appraised as being stressful

Question 4

burnout

Answer 4

the emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion from coping with stressful demands on a continuing basis

Question 5

challenge stressors

Answer 5

stressors that tend to be appraised as opportunities for growth and achievement

Question 6

cognitive - behavioural techniques

Answer 6

various practices that help workers cope with life’s stressors in a rational manner

Question 7

cognitive coping

Answer 7

thoughts used to deal with a stressful situation

Question 8

coping

Answer 8

behaviours and thoughts used to manage stressful demands and the emotions associated with the stressful demands

Question 9

daily hassles

Answer 9

minor day-to-day demands that interfere with work accomplishment

Question 10

emotional support

Answer 10

the empathy and understanding people receive from others that can be used to alleviate emotional distress from stressful demands

Question 11

emotion-focused coping

Answer 11

behaviours and cognitions of an individual intended to help manage emotional reactions to the stressful demands

Question 12

family time demands

Answer 12

the amount of time committed to fulfilling family responsibilities

Question 13

financial uncertainty

Answer 13

uncertainty with regard to the potential for loss of livelihood, savings, or the ability to pay expenses

Question 14

health and wellness programs

Answer 14

employee assistance programs that help workers with personal problems such as alcoholism and other addictions

Question 15

hindrance stressors

Answer 15

stressors that tend to be appraised as thwarting progress toward growth and achievement

Question 16

instrumental support

Answer 16

the help people receive from others that can be used to address a stressful demand directly

Question 17

job sharing

Answer 17

two people sharing the responsibilities of a single job

Question 18

negative life events

Answer 18

events such as a divorce or death of a family member that tend to be appraised as a hindrance

Question 19

personal development

Answer 19

participation in activities outside of work that foster growth and learning

Question 20

physiological strains

Answer 20

reactions from stressors that harm the human body

Question 21

positive life events

Answer 21

events such as marriage or the birth of a child that tend to be appraised as a challenge

Question 22

primary appraisal

Answer 22

evaluation of whether a demand is stressful and, if it is, the implications of the stressor in terms of personal goals and well-being

Question 23

problem-focused coping

Answer 23

behaviours and cognitions of an individual intended to manage the stressful situation itself

Question 24

psychological strains

Answer 24

negative psychological reactions from stressors such as depression, anxiety, and anger

Question 25

recovery

Answer 25

an individual factor that refers to the degree to which energies used for coping with work demands are replenished from a period of rest or relief from work

Question 26

relaxation techniques

Answer 26

calming activities to reduce stress

Question 27

role ambiguity

Answer 27

a lack of direct information about what needs to be done in a role

Question 28

role conflict

Answer 28

others having different expectations of what an individual needs to do in a role

Question 29

role overload

Answer 29

an excess of demands on an employee preventing them from working effectively

Question 30

secondary appraisal

Answer 30

when people determine how to cope with the various stressors they face

Question 31

social support

Answer 31

the help people receive from others when confronted with stressful demands

Question 32

strains

Answer 32

negative consequences of the stress response

Question 33

stress

Answer 33

the psychological response to demands when there is something at stake for the individual, and when coping with these demands would tax or exceed the individual’s capacity or resources

Question 34

stress audit

Answer 34

an assessment of the sources of stress in the workplace

Question 35

stressors

Answer 35

demands that cause the stress response

Question 36

supportive practices

Answer 36

ways in which organizations help employees manage and balance their demands

Question 37

time pressure

Answer 37

the sense that the amount of time allotted to do a job is not quite enough

Question 38

training interventions

Answer 38

practices that increase employees’ competencies and skills

Question 39

transactional theory of stress

Answer 39

a theory that explains how stressful demands are perceived and appraised, as well as how people respond to the perceptions of appraisals

Question 40

Type A Behaviour Pattern

Answer 40

a type of behaviour exhibited by people who tend to experience more stressors, to appraise more demands as stressful, and to be prone to experiencing more strains than most others

Question 41

work complexity

Answer 41

the degree to which job requirements tax or just exceed employee capabilities

Question 42

work-family conflict

Answer 42

a form of role conflict in which the demands of a work role hinder the fulfillment of the demands in a family role (or vice versa)

Question 43

work responsibility

Answer 43

the number and importance of the obligations an employee has to others

Question 44

6.1 - what is stress, and how is it different from stressors and strains?

Answer 44

• stress refers to the psychological response to demands when there’s something at stake for the individual and coping with these demand would tax or exceed the individual’s capacity or resources.
• stressors are the demands that cause the stress response
• strains are the negative consequences of the stress response.

Question 45

6.2 - what are the four main types of stressors?

Answer 45

stressors come in two general forms:
- challenge stressors, which are perceived as opportunities for growth and achievement, and
- hindrance stressors, which are perceived as hurdles to goal achievement.
these two stressors can be found in both work and nonwork domains.
(work hindrance, work challenge, nonwork hindrance, nonwork challenge)

Question 46

6.3 - how do individuals cope with stress?

Answer 46

coping with stress involves thoughts and behaviours that address one of two goals: addressing the stressful demand or decreasing the emotional discomfort associated with the demand.

Question 47

6.4 - how does the ‘type A behaviour pattern’ influence the stress process?

Answer 47

individual differences in the Type A Behaviour Pattern affect how people experience stress in three ways. Type A people tend to experience more stressors, appraise more demands as stressful, and are prone to experiencing more strains.

Question 48

6.5 - how does stress affect job performance and organizational commitment?

Answer 48

the effects of stress depend on the type of stressor.
-hindrance stressors have a weak negative relationship with job performance and a strong negative relationship with organizational commitment.
- in contrast, challenge stressors have a weak positive relationship with job performance and a moderate positive relationship with organizational commitment.

Question 49

6.6 - what steps can organizations take to manage employee stress?

Answer 49

because of the high costs associated with employee stress, organizations assess and manage stress using a number of different practices. in general, these practices focus on reducing or eliminating stressors, providing resources that employees can use to cope with stressors, or trying to reduce the strains.