Problem 8 Flashcards
Mindfulness
Refers to a state of
- nonjudgmental attentiveness to
- awareness of
moment-to-moment experiences
Mindfulness has several key characteristics.
Name them
- Rezeptive awareness + registration of inner experiences
- Mindful info processing is pre-conceptual
- -> noticing what is happening bu not evaluating, analyzing, reflecting - Characterized by a present-oriented consciousness in which individuals focus on the moment
- -> rather than thinking about past or future - It is an inherent human capacity that varies in strength across situations or persons
Naturally-occuring mindfulness is related to … ?
Behavior regulation + psychological health
–> it can occur in everyday life and is determined by the degree by which one is fully immersed in the present moment + the duration
Affective-events theory
AET
Suggests that mindfulness may be positively related to job satisfaction
–> since work events are proximal causes of employee affective reactions, which in turn predict job satisfaction
e.g. mindful people will observe stressful events more objectively + refrain from attaching a meaning or evaluation to it, which win turn will help not to be biased
Emotional labor theory
Suggests that employees make use of two different ER strategies when they face a discrepancy between actually felt vs required emotions
–> surface vs deep acting
Surface acting
Aims at altering the outward emotional expression w/o changing the actual feeling
–> suppressing negative feelings + faking positive ones
e.g. done when you have to be of service to an unpleasant costumer
Surface vs deep acting influence on job satisfaction
Surface has a negative influence vs deep none
Employees work ing emotionally demanding jobs usually exert surface acting very frequently, which elicits negative feelings in terms of job satisfaction.
How can this be overcome ?
Through mindfulness burnout can be prevented in terms of emotional exhaustion
–> mindfulness counteracts surface acting because we use more PFC activity thus more rational
THUS: surface acting is turned into deep acting
Mindfulness affects …?
- Surface acting
- Emotional exhaustion
- Job satisfaction
Burn out
Indicates whether employees experience high levels of exhaustion + disengagement toward the job
–> indicator of long-term well-being
Why does burnout vary between persons ?
Because individuals high in neuroticism + exposed to unfavorable work environment are more likely to burn out
–> as opposed to emotionally stable
Job demands resources model
JD-R
Suggests that longterm exposure to job demands will exhaust employees cognitive + physical resources
–> on the long run will lead to energy depletion + health problems
e.g. cardiovascular or musculoskeletal diseases
Effort recovery theory
Employees have to invest effort to achieve work relate goals
–> this effort produces physical + physiological costs that are associated with working
BUT: these reactions are usually shortlived + reversible, but under certain circumstances they may turn into longterm chronic health problems
ex.: continuation of work during off-job time
Low effort activités
Require little to no effort and thus pose no additional demands on psychobiological system
–> contribute to adequate daily recovery by replenishing used physical + cognitive resources or acquiring new ones
Social acitivites
May lead to acquisition of social resources since these activities open up channels for social support
–> draw on different personal resources than those required to accomplish work-related tasks, thus relaxing
e.g. going out with friends, talking to family
Physical activities
Contribute to daily recovery because exercise increases
- level of endorphins
- body temperature
- secretion of noradrenalin, serotonin, dopamine
–> all of which have antidepressant effects
Name the 2 main dimensions of burn out.
- Exhaustion
- -> affective, physical cognitive aspects - Disengagement from work
- -> lack of interest in the job
Physical vigor
Affective state where individuals feel full of pep + experience physical strength
Cognitive liveliness
Feeling alert, being creative, thinking rapidly
For employees with LOW burnout levels, which type of activity is beneficial for daily recovery from work ?
Social + physical activities
–> but not low effort ones, since they are more related to boredom to them
ALSO: they are not in immediate danger when continuing their work in their off-work time
For employees with HIGH burnout levels, which type of activity is beneficial for daily recovery from work ?
Low effort, physical + social
AND: most important to stop spending time on work-related activities during off-job time
Why is it crucial for high burnout level employees to stop spending time on work-related issues during off-job time?
Because they suffer from a
- Decline in daily recovery
- -> in terms of physical vigor, cognitive liveliness + recovery - Loss in enduring physical + cognitive resources
- -> chronically exhausted, disengagement from work
THUS: when dealing with work-related things outside of work, they are usually not equipped to do so due to energy depletion, which will in turn further deteriorate their well being
Why are people low in burnout better equipped to deal with meaning work-related activities int he off-job time ?
Because they have higher levels of vigor
–> this is why daily recovery levels are not negatively affected
Resources theory
The restoration of resources becomes more crucial or well-being in the face of enduring resource loss
–> in line with enduring resource loss of high burnout people
Work engagement
Refers to a positive + fulfilling work-related state of ming
–> related to good mental health + increased job resources
What did the Sonnentag study find out on the relation between recovery levels and work engagement ?
- Morning recovery level predicts work engagement
- Work engagement predicts recovery level at the end of workday
BUT: situational constraints may have in influence
In which way do Situational constraints influence recovery vs work engagement relationship?
- Affective consequence
- -> experience of anger, anxiety will lead to ER
AND: ER will interfere with work engagement + will consume additional resources, thus drop of recovery level
- Lack of info or supplies to successfully complete the task
- -> will require additional effort to get the work done
