Lecture 7 - Engagement & Stress Flashcards
Engagement & Stress
Eustress v. disStress
How should we conceptualize engagement?
‘‘. . . a positive, fulfilling, workrelated state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption’’?
Studying Workplace Stress
Selye – “Father of Stress”
eustress definition
Defined stress as “the non-specific response of the human body to any demand made on it”
Eustress (good) vs. distress (bad)
Psychological Consequences of Stress
Burnout
Extreme state of psychological strain resulting from prolonged response to chronic job stressors that exceed an individual’s resources to cope with them
Measured with Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)
3 components of burn-out
Emotional exhaustion
Depersonalization
Low personal accomplishment
Emotional exhaustion
Burnout that occurs when
individuals feel emotionally
drained by work.
Depersonalization Burnout that occurs when individuals become hardened by their job and tend to treat clients or patients like objects.
Low personal accomplishment Burnout in which individuals feel they cannot deal with problems effectively and understand or identify with others’ problems.
Example of Moderator
In statistical
terms, control would be called a “moderator variable”—a variable that changes the
nature of the relationship between two other variables.
e.g. self-esteem on stress
Psychological Stressors;
Perceived lack of control/predictability
Individual’s perception of control or predictability determines his/her response to the situation
Perceptions of control are related to Autonomy, which is the extent to which employees can control how and when they perform the tasks of their job
Interpersonal conflict
Psychological Stressors
Negative interactions w/co-workers, supervisors, clients
Can occur when resources are scarce, employees have incompatible interests, or employees feel they are not being treated fairly
Psychological Stressors (cont’d)
Role stressors
Role stressors: Result from multiple task requirements or roles of employees
Role ambiguity
Employees lack clear knowledge of expected behavior
Role conflict
Demands from different sources are incompatible
Role overload
An employee is expected to fill to many roles at once
Psychological Stressors (cont’d)
Work-family conflict
Work-family conflict
When workers experience conflict between roles they fulfill at work & roles they fulfill in their personal lives
Flexible time schedules & child care becoming increasingly important
Behavioral Consequences of Stress
Information processing
Information processing
Chronic stress has negative effects on memory, reaction time, accuracy, & task performance
Physiological Consequences of Stress
Stressful situations cause overactivation of sympathetic nervous system (SNS), producing several kinds of stress hormones
PTSD
Type A behavior pattern
TABP
Set of characteristics exhibited by individuals who are engaged in a chronic struggle to obtain an unlimited number of poorly defined things from their environment in the shortest period of time; subcomponents include hostility, achievement strivings, impatience/irritability, and time urgency.
Demand-Control Model
theories of stress
2 factors prominent in producing job stress
1. Job demands
Workload or intellectual requirements
2. Control (decision latitude)
Autonomy & discretion for using different skills
Demand–control model A model suggesting that two factors are prominent in producing job stress: job demands and individual control; developed by Karasek. Job demand Component of demand–control model that refers to the workload or intellectual requirements of the job. Job control Component of demand–control model that refers to a combination of autonomy in the job and discretion for using different skills.
Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ)
Role overload & role conflict (demands)
Skill utilization & job decision (control)
Depression, job dissatisfaction, & sleep problems (health consequences)
Person-Environment Fit Model
Hypothesis: Fit between person & environment determines amount of stress that person perceives
Considers external influences like social support from family & work sources
Person-job fit vs. person-organization fit
Person–job (P–J) fit Extent to which the skills, abilities, and interests of an individual are compatible with the demands of the job. Person–organization (P–O) fit Extent to which the values of an employee are consistent with the values held by most others in the organization.
Individual Differences in Resistance to Stress
Moderators of stressor-strain relationship
- Locus of control (LOC)
Belief of individuals that what happens to them is under their control - Hardiness
Set of personality characteristics that provide resistance to stress - Self-esteem
Positive self-worth that is considered to be an important resource for coping
Hardiness
A set of personality characteristics that provide resistance to stress; hardy individuals feel in control of their lives, have a sense of commitment to their family and their work goals and values, and see unexpected change as a challenge.
Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP)
Moderator of stressor-strain relationship
Individuals displaying TABP characterized by ambitiousness, impatience, easily aroused hostility, & time urgency
Type A’s seem to thrive on “life in the fast lane
Reducing & Managing Stress
Occupational health psychology (OHP)
Occupational health psychology (OHP)
Application of psychology to improving the quality of work life, and to protecting and promoting the safety, health, and well-being of workers
Handbook of Occupational Health Psychology
Comprehensive source for OHP issues (i.e., work-family balance, work design, and stress management interventions)
Occupational health psychologists often divide approaches into 3 major categories
Primary, secondary, and tertiary
Occupational health psychologists often divide approaches into 3 major categories
Primary, secondary, and tertiary
Primary prevention strategy Stress prevention strategy concerned with modifying or eliminating stressors in the work environment.
Secondary prevention strategy Stress prevention strategy that involves modifying responses to inevitable demands or stressors.
Tertiary prevention strategy Stress prevention strategy focused on healing the negative effects of stressors.
2 coping styles
Problem-focused coping
Managing or altering the problem causing the stress
Emotion-focused coping
Reducing the emotional response to the problem
Advice 1Problem-focused coping
If you keep doing what you did, you will …
get what you always got !
Primary prevention strategies
Concerned with modifying or eliminating stressors in work environment
Most proactive & preventative approaches to stress management
Examples:
Work & job design
Cognitive restructuring
Advice 2Emotion-focused coping
Damage control
Sports, food, social support, meditation (holiday?)
Secondary Prevention Strategies
Involve modifying responses to inevitable demands or stressors
Role is often one of damage control
Strategies that require no special training include lifestyle choices such as physical fitness, healthy eating, & weight control
Can be proactive or reactive
Advice 3
coaching or counselling.
Tertiary Prevention Strategies
Focused on healing negative effects of stressors
Employee assistance programs (EAPs)
Counseling provided by an organization to deal with workplace stress, alcohol/drug difficulties, & problems stemming from outside the job
