Chapter 6: Stress Flashcards
Stress
Psychological response to demands when there is something at stake for the individual and when coping with these demands would tax individual’s resources
Stressors
Demands that cause people to experience stress
Strains
Negative consequences that occur when demands tax or exceed a person’s capacity or resources
Transactional Theory of Stress
Explains how stressful demands are perceived and assessed as well as how people respond to the perceptions of these assessments
Primary Appraisal
Evaluation of whether a demand is stressful and, if it is, the implications of the stressor in terms of personal goals and well-being
Benign Job Demands
Job demands that are not considered as stressful
Hindrance Stressors
Stressors that tend to be evaluated as preventing progress toward growth and achievement
Challenge Stressors
Stressors that tend to be appraised as opportunities for learning, growth and achievement
What are the 4 types of work-hindrance stressors?
- Role Conflict
- Role Ambiguity
- Role Overload
- Daily Hassles
Role Conflict
Conflicting expectations of what an individual needs to do in a role
Role Ambiguity
Lack of direction and information about what needs to be done in a role
a. unpredictability of consequences of performance in the role
b. often experienced by new employees - haven’t been there long enough to receive instructions or observe co-workers
c. causes stress
Role Overload
Excess of demands on an employee preventing them from working effectively
Daily Hassles
Minor day-to-day demands that interfere with work accomplishment
E.g. dealing with necessary paperwork, office equipment malfunctions, annoying interactions with abrasive coworkers
What are the 3 types of work-challenge stressors?
- Time Pressure
- Work Complexity
- Work Responsibility
Time Pressure
Sense that the amount of time allocated to do a job is not enough
- seen as something worth striving for because success in meeting such demands is intrinsically satisfying
Work Complexity
Degree to which job requirements tax or exceed employee capabilities
Work Responsibility
Number and importance of the obligation employee has to others
- level of responsibility higher when importance of obligations are higher
What are the 3 types of non-work hindrance stressors?
- Work-family Conflict
- Negative Life Events
- Financial Uncertainty
Work-family Conflict
Form of role conflict in which demands of a work role hinder the fulfillment of the demands in a family role (or vice versa)
Negative Life Events
Events such as divorce or death of a family member that tend to be evaluated as a hindrance
- hinder ability to achieve life goals and are associated with negative emotions
Financial Uncertainty
Uncertainty with regard to the potential for loss of livelihood, savings or ability to pay expenses
- relevant during recessions or economic downturns
What are the 3 types of non-work challenge stressors?
- Family time demands
- Personal development
- Positive life events
Secondary Appraisal
When people determine how to cope with the various stressors they face
Methods of Coping
- Behavioural coping: physical activities used to deal with a stressful situation
E.g. time pressure causes them to work faster, daily hassels might lead to avoiding work - Cognitive coping: thoughts used to deal with a stressful situation
E.g. time pressure leads them to think of different ways to accomplish work more effectively, daily hassles lead them to convince themselves it’s not that bad
Focus of Coping
- Problem-focused coping: behaviours and cognitions of an individual intended to manage stressful situation itself
- Emotion-focused coping: behaviours and cognitions of an individual intended to help manage emotional reactions to stressful demands
How do people choose a particular coping strategy?
- beliefs people have about how well different coping strategies can address different demands
- degree to which people believe they have what it takes to execute coping strategy effectively
- degree to which people believe a particular strategy can give them some degree of control over stressor
What determines how people develop a sense of control over a stressor?
Nature of the demand itself
- people feel less control over a stressor when they appraise it as a hindrance instead of a challenge
The experience of strain
Body has a set of responses that allow it to adapt and function effectively in face of stressful demands but if stressful demands do not decrease or occur too frequently, body’s adaptive responses become toxic
What are the 3 types of strain?
- Physiological
- Psychological
- Behavioural
Physiological Strains
Reactions from stressors that harm human body
- affect immune, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal systems
Psychological Strains
Negative reactions from stressors such as depression, anxiety and anger
- may be seen as isolated incidents but actually reflect more general psychological condition known as burnout
Behavioural Strains
Patterns of negative behaviours associated with other strains
E.g. grinding your teeth, excessive smoking, compulsive gum chewing or eating
Type A and B Behaviour Patter
Type A: Exhibited by people who tend to experience more stresors because appraise more demands as stressful
Type B: Opposite
Influence of Type A behaviour on stressors, stress, and strains
Stressors: Direct influence
- tend to be more hard-driving and have strong desire to achieve
Stress: Influence on stress process
- hard-driving competitiveness makes them hypersensitive to demands that affect progress toward goal attainment
Strains: Direct link to coronary heart disease and other physiological, psychological and behavioural strains
- at higher risk
What is another factor that affects the way people manage stress?
Social Support: help people recieve from others when confronted with stressful demands
Types of social support
Instrumental Support: help people recieve from others to directly address a stressful demand
Emotional support: empathy and understanding people receive from others that can be used to alleviate emotional distress from stressful demands
- both tend to reduce harmful consequences of stressor
Relationship between the affect of hindrance stressors on job performance and organizational commitment?
Job Performance:
- Weak negative
- Hindrance stressors result in strains and negative emotions that reduce level of physical, cognitive and emotional energy people could bring to job
Org Commitment:
- Strong negative
- Hindrance stressors evoke strains generally linked to dissatisfying people
Relationship between the affect of challenge stressors on job performance and organizational commitment?
Job Performance: - Weak positive Org Commitment: - Moderate positive Reasoning: Employees that experience higher levels of challenge stressors also tend to have higher levels of JP and OC because tend to trigger (+) emotions and problem-focused coping strategies, characteristic of highly engaged employees
What steps can organizations take to manage employee stress?
- Assessment
- Reducing Stressors
- Providing Resources
- Reducing Strains
1) Assessment
Stress Audit: assessment of sources of stress in workplace
Looks at:
a. degree of changes in org
b. work itself
c. quality of relationships (w co-workers and org)
2) Reducing Stressors
2 solutions:
a. Eliminate or reduce stressful demands
- job sharing: two people sharing job responsibilities of single job
b. employee sabbaticals - time off from work for alternate activity
3) Providing Resources
4 ways:
a. Training interventions
b. Supportive practices - trauma team
c. Flexible hours - working from home, part-time
d. Training managers - assess their own behaviours and contribution to employee stressors
4) Reducing Strains
3 categories:
a. Relaxation techniques - calming activities
b. Cognitive-behavioural techniques - help workers cope in rational manner
c. Health and wellness programs - help with personal problems
Presenteeism
Employees continue to work as a performative measure despite having reduced productivity levels or negative consequences
Family Time Demands
Amount of time committed to fulfilling family responsibilities
Personal Development
Activities outside of work that foster growth and learning
Positive Life Events
Events such as marriage or birth of a child that tend to be considered a challenge
