Unit 3 - LAB1 - Causes of Stress Flashcards
Two examples of a positive life event are
Going to college, getting your dream job, getting married, having children
Two examples of a negative life event are
Getting divorced, death of a close family member, getting sacked
Getting your dream job is an example of what life event?
Positive
Death of a close family member is an example of what life event?
Negative
How do significant life events cause us stress?
They force us to change our lives
How are daily hassles different to life events?
Daily hassles are much smaller events that happen daily
Give an example of a daily hassle
Getting stuck at traffic lights on the way to work, losing signal whilst in an important chat
What has research shown to cause more stress?
Daily hassles
Research has shown that daily hassles cause more stress than life events. True or false?
True
Daily hassles tend to be beyond our…
control
What research method is used to investigate daily hassles and life events?
Self-report questionnaires
What are self-report questionnaires used to investigate about stress?
Daily hassles and life events
What did Rahe (1970) want to find out?
If experiencing life events predicted illness
This researcher wanted to know if experiencing life events predicted illness
Rahe (1970)
Who did Rahe (1970) study?
2664 US Navy sailors on 3 aircraft carriers
What did Rahe (1970) ask his participants to do?
Complete a life events questionnaire covering the 6 months prior to setting sail
What two measures did Rahe (1970) look at?
Life events questionnaire and rates of illness experienced whilst on board the ships
What did Rahe (1970) find?
Sailors who had the most life events before setting sail also experienced a greater level of illness
Which researcher concluded that life events are a reasonably good predictor of later stress-related illness?
Rahe (1970)
What did Rahe (1970) conclude?
Life events are a reasonably good predictor of later stress-related illness
What did Kanner want to investigate?
What was the most stressful, daily hassles or life events
Which researcher wanted to know what was the most stressful, daily hassles or life events
Kanner
How many people in Kanner’s research completed the hassles and uplifts scale? When did they do this?
100 people, every month for 9 months
Name the three measures participants completed in Kanner’s research
Hassles and uplifts scale, Life events scale, the Hopkins symptom checklist
What did Kanner find to be a stronger predictor of illness - Daily hassles or life events?
Daily hassles
What did Kanner conclude?
Daily hassles cause us more stress than life events
Which researcher concluded that daily hassles cause us more stress than life events?
Kanner
Give one strength of life events and hassles
Lots of evidence to support / Self-report methods used provide insight / Self-report methods used gather quantitative data / Self-report methods used are reliable
What two pieces of research provide evidence to support the idea that hassles and life events cause stress?
Rahe and Kanner
What do Rahe and Kanner’s research provide evidence to support?
The idea that hassles and life events cause stress
Give one weakness of life events and hassles
Self-report methods used have issues of validity / Results from research can be subjective
Name the three work-related factors that people tend to find stressful
Physical environment, Lack of control, Role conflict
Give one example of how the physical environment of the workplace can cause stress
Noisy / cramped / hot / cold / damp / dangerous environments
Give one example of how lack of control in the workplace can cause stress
Having no control over what you will be doing / where you will be doing it / how long it will take and who with
Give one example of how role conflict in the workplace can cause stress
Not clear what your responsibilities are / poor relationships at work
What was the aim of the research by Johansson (1978)?
To compare two different jobs in a Swedish sawmill to see which job was the most stressful
This researcher compared two different jobs in a Swedish sawmill to see which job was the most stressful
Johansson (1978)
What did Johansson (1978) match both groups that he studied on?
Education and job experience
What two things did Johansson (1978) measure in their research?
Absenteeism and stress hormone levels through urine samples
What were the two jobs compared in Johansson (1978)’s research?
Group 1: The finishers and Group 2: The cleaners
Give two facts about the jobs of Group 1: The finishers in Johansson (1978)’s research
High risk and high pressure job / used cutting equipment / had to ensure finished product was high quality / work was noisy, machine paced and unsociable
Give two facts about the jobs of Group 2: The cleaners in Johansson (1978)’s research
Had to clean up the sawmill at the end of the shift / went at their own pace / sociable
What did Johansson (1978) find?
Finishers had the higher level of stress hormones and a greater level of illness and absenteeism
What does Johansson (1978)’s research show?
A high pressure job with low levels of control can cause stress related illness
Which research shows that a high pressure job with low levels of control can cause stress related illness?
Johansson (1978)
What did Gyorkos (2012) look at?
Cultural differences in the impact of work on stress
Which researcher looked at cultural differences in the impact of work on stress?
Gyorkos (2012)
What did Gyorkos (2012) find?
Job control was a cause of stress in western cultures such as the US, but was not a concern of people in collectivist cultures such as China
Which researcher found that job control was a cause of stress in western cultures but not collectivist cultures?
Gyorkos (2012)
Give one reason why lack of control in the workplace is an issue in the US
People are concerned about personal rights and fairness
What did Gyorkos (2012) conclude?
Certain aspects of work may cause stress for some people but not others (cultural differences)
Give one strength of work as an explanation of stress
Research to support (Johansson) / Practical applications
Give one weakness of work as an explanation of stress
Cultural differences / Research may not be entirely valid
What personality type makes someone more likely to experience stress and anxiety than others?
Type A personalities
What personality type makes someone less likely to experience stress?
Type B personalities
Type A personalities make someone…
More likely to experience stress and anxiety
Type B personalities make someone…
Less likely to experience stress and anxiety
Give two traits of the Type A personality
Competitive / driven / time-conscious / stress-prone / impatient / goal-oriented
Give two traits of the Type B personality
Relaxed / easy-going / less focused on time pressure / patient / adaptable / present-oriented
What does hardiness provide?
Resilience against stress
A hardy personality can be explained through the three C’s, these are…
Commitment, Control, Challenge
Give one example of commitment in the hardy personality type
Tackle problems head on / plan how to combat a problem / use resources available / make best use of time available
Give one example of control in the hardy personality type
Take charge of situations / take responsibility for dealing with things
Give one example of challenge in the hardy personality type
See situations as opportunities rather than threats / respond to situations with positive energy and emotions
What did Rosenman (1976) carry out?
A long-term study of the effect of personality on stress
Which researcher carried out a long-term study of the effect of personality on stress?
Rosenman (1976)
Who did Rosenman (1976) assess and what for?
3000 men in California, to see if they had Type A or Type B personalities
What did Rosenman (1976) find 8.5 years later?
257 men had developed coronary heart disease - of these, 70% were Type A
What did Maddi (1987) investigate?
The effect of the hardy personality
Which researcher studied the effect of the hardy personality?
Maddi (1987)
Who did Maddi (1978) assess in their research and why?
Managers and supervisors at the Illinois Bell Telephone company, to see how the changes in re-organisation affected them
What did Maddi (1987) find regarding the hardy personality?
Those who scored highly on the three C’s reported being happier at work than ever and that their health was stable
Give one strength of personality as a cause of stress
Research to support / Practical applications
Give one weakness of personality as a cause of stress
Lack of validity with the hardy personality / Lack of validity in self-report methods used
