Workplace stress P3 Flashcards
What is home-work interference?
-Competing demands of home and
work.
* In particular when small children
are involved.
What is work-life balance?
where an individual has time for
both thus less stress and better
psychological adjustment.
What is intra-role conflict?
-occurs when an employee’s single role in the workplace presents competing demands.
eg
* The manager insists that an employee performs
incompatible tasks (e.g. two projects that cannot
be completed at the same time).
What is inter-role conflict?
- occurs when a person has two
roles with competing demands. Often one role is
work-related and the other is outside the workplace.
eg - A student with a part-time job could find their
employers insisting on certain hours that conflict
with college time.
Name 2 common stresses that arise from the work environment
-temperature and noise.
Temperature: Hot workplaces are associated with
negative outcomes such as stress and aggressive
behaviour
Noise: Workplaces full of loud sounds can be stressful because noise is unpleasant. In particular
uncontrollable noises are particularly stressful
because of lack of control.
Johansson et al., (1978) aim
To measure the psychological and physiological stress response in two
categories of employees.
Johansson et al., (1978) method
A quasi-experiment where workers were defined as being at high risk of stress
or in a control group, which was low stress
[As the experiment was quasi, there was no manipulation of the independent
variable]
-24 workers at a Swedish sawmill. The two groups of workers were:
The high-risk group consisted of workers who had to work at a set pace. Their job
was complex, high risk, and socially isolating
-Control group consisted cleaners or maintenance
men
Johansson et al., (1978) procedure
-P gave a daily urine sample at start of day and at four other times during the day.
-Gave self-reports of mood and alertness.
-Baseline measurements were taken at the same time on a day when the workers were at home.
Catecholamine (dopamine and adrenaline) levels were measured from
the participants urine.
-Body temp measured at the time of urine collection.
Johansson et al (1978) Findings
Biological: The high-risk group had adrenaline levels twice as high as
their baseline and these continued to increase throughout the day. The
control group had a peak level of 1½ times their baseline level in the
morning and this then declined during the rest of their shift.
Psychological: From the self-reports, the high-risk group felt more
rushed and irritated than the control group. Furthermore, they also
rated their wellbeing lower than the control group.
Johansson et al (1978) conclusion
The repetitive, machine-paced work, which was
demanding in attention to detail and was highly
mechanised, with financial responsibilities,
contributed to the higher stress levels in the high-risk
group.
Johansson et al (1978) Pos evaluation
+ Measuring biochemical responses is highly reliable and somewhat
valid, as some biochemicals are present in different situations.
+ The study measured both psychological and physiological measures
therefore it is low in reductionism.
Johansson et al (1978) Neg evaluation
- Validity – as the experiment was quasi, the experimenter could
not manipulate the variables – we cannot be sure if it was the
conditions or other variables which caused the change.
– Ethnocentrism – the sample consisted of only Swedish workers in a
mill, which is clearly not representative of a great many jobs and
therefore the results may prove difficult to generalise.
– Small sample – the sample is rather limited and cannot be easily
generalisable.
What dose Karasek (1979) suggest?
- The most stressful jobs involve high demand and
low control. - Least stressful involve low demand and high
control. - Other research also supports the idea that a
combination of high demand and low control is the
most stressful combination.
Research also shows that these effects can be
modified by other factors such as social support
