Week 7: Occupational Stress Flashcards
Stress
Stress refers to the mental and physical reactions people have in reaction to interactions with their environment .
Stressors
Stressors are the causes of stress (i.e. antecedents)
Strain
‘Strain’ is the physical and psychological consequences of stress is (i.e. consequences)
Occupational stress
the study of psychological stress occurring within the workplace
Why is occupational stress important
Financial impact
Health and performance
Wider social implication
Financial impact
Estimates differ but occupational stress negatively impacts the Australian Economy
Health and performance
Increased absenteeism
Increased accidents and injury
Decreased performance, job dissatisfaction, and higher employee turnover
Wider social implication
Occupational stress not bounded to organisations and taken outside into our homes and other facets of society. Includes marriage issues and bullying.
Three general theoretical approaches to stress (in general)
- Response-based
- Stimulus-based
- Transactional
Response based approaches to stress
Focused on consequence of stress. Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome Theory of Stress (have a look on the slides for a diagram of this model)
The 3 stages of general adaptation syndrome
Alarm
Adaptation
Exhaustion
(have a look on the slides for a diagram of this model)
Transactional theory of stress
Stress as a ‘transaction’ between individuals and their environment. Perception of stressor and ability to cope (“coping mechanism”) as part of “cognitive appraisals”
(have a look on the slides for a diagram of this model)
Occupational stress theories
Person-environment fit (P-E fit)
Cooper and Marshall’s ‘work stress’ model
Warr’s Vitamin Model
Job Demand-Control Model
Person-environment fit (P-E fit)
Psychological strain is a result of an imbalance between the persons characteristics and the demands of their environment.
(have a look on the slides for a diagram of this model)
Eustress
A stressful situation where the person is positively challenged. Helps with motivation, learning and growth. Effective managers seek to encourage eustress.
