Stressors Faced by Workers PPT #6 Flashcards
Stress, Stressor, Distress
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: The adverse psychological, physical, behavioural, and organizational consequences that may arise as a result of stressful events
Yerkes-Dodson Law
Performance Arousal (Y-Axis) and Stress (X-Axis)
Low and low = Too little
The middle hump = Just Right
High and high = Too much
Stress from a physiological point of view
Fight or flight:
- Amygdala reacts to threat
- The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system, release of adrenaline
- The adrenal cortex releases cortisol for continued alertness
Stress from a physiological point of view: General Adaptation Syndrome
Y-Axis = Resistance to Stress
X- Axis:
Alarm; the line is in the middle than dips
Resistance: the line spikes upwards
Exhaustion: the line tanks downwards
These are the 3 steps of how stress affects an individual
The consequences of stress: The cost of an unhealthy workplace
High effort, low reward + High pressure, low control (strain)
3 x heart problems
3 x back pain
5 x certain cancers
2 - 3 x conflicts
2-4 x mental health problems
2-3 x injuries
2 x substance abuse
Layers involved in the processing of stress
From center to edge of circle:
Physiological
Individual Appraisal
Environmental Demands, Resources and Support
Individual appraisal
Cognitive Appraisal (Lazarus):
Individuals will differ in the extent to which they perceive a situation as stressful
Individual differences relating to the appraisal and management of stress
Self-esteem: Those with higher self-esteem tend to select better coping mechanisms
Self-efficacy: Lowers experience of stress due to heightened sense of personal control
Negative Affectivity: More likely to see stressors as a threat – impacts coping mechanisms
Hardiness: More likely to see stressors as a normal part of life – as challenges, vs. insurmountable threats
Environmental Demands:
Task Demands:
Change, new technologies
Time pressure
Lack of control
Role Demands:
Role ambiguity – Not really clear on what role is, having to depend on external environment to gauge what to do
Role conflict (inter-role: a parent with a sick child needs to decide what role they need to fulfill, take care of child vs. go to work and be a good employee, intra-role: demands like work hard but efficient, this is constantly taxing as you need to be quick and efficient but also work long so you are always stressed, person-role)
Physical Demands:
Hazards
Travel
Strenuous activities
Interpersonal Demands:
Toxic work culture
Sexual harassment
Abusive supervision (or poor
leadership more generally)
Environmental Demands, Resources, and Support
Distress is the core:
This core branches out to:
supports: having a good manager
resources: getting breaks, funding for a project
demands: these are the things that can cause the distress, where the supports and resources can alleviate the demands distress
What Can an Individual Do?
Alter cognitions (attention to both pos. and neg. aspects)
Time management/goal setting
Where possible, create conditions for flow
Rejuvenating activities
Breathing exercises
Attend to physical health (diet, exercise, sleep)
Process thoughts and emotions (via friends, journal, etc.)
Cultivate a support network
Seek professional support/resources
What can an organization do?
Reduce physical demands
Reduce task demands
Give greater worker control
Job-employee match in hiring and training
Clear communication of expectations
Fair treatment
Socioemotional support
Instrumental support
Value work-life balance
Healthy change process
Help interpret events as opportunities
Recognize and deal with stress symptoms
Key Points
Some stress is good, but too much, for too long, will eventually wreak havoc – learn to keep stress in the optimal zone
Processing stress involves layers including physiological, individual appraisal, and environmental demands, resources, and supports
Various demands are associated with stress, but the provision of resources and supports can often help counteract those demands
