CHAPTER 14 Stress and Burnout
The nature of stress Emotional and physiological aspects of stress: Selye’s stage theory Alarm reaction Resistance Exhaustion The nature of stressors They are intense and/or overwhelming: overload They evoke simultaneous incompatible tendencies They are uncontrollable Cognitive appraisal of an event as stressful Perception that the situation threatens important goals Perception that effective coping isn’t possible
Major causes of stress Work-related causes: heat, noise, crowding, danger, lack of privacy Social conditions: high level of politics, abusive or uncaring management atmosphere, discrimination, and harassment Occupational demands: highly stressful occupations Frequent decisions Constant monitoring of devices or materials Repeated exchanges of information with others Unpleasant physical conditions Performing unstructured rather than structured tasks Jobs that create problems for one’s relationships at home
Major causes of stress Multiple roles Family stressors versus work stressors: gender differences Drawbacks: role conflicts, divided attention and energy, increasing backlogs both inside and outside the work setting Benefits: new areas of autonomy, control, self-definition, personal satisfaction, and social support The benefits of working are evident for wives only when their husbands share family responsibilities.
Major causes of stress Types of role conflict Overload and underload Inter-role conflict Person-role conflict Within-role conflict Overload and underload Qualitative and quantitative overload Qualitative and quantitative underload The desirability of the “middle course”
Major causes of stress Responsibility for others Isolation and the lack of social support: advice, comfort, help, sense of perspective Unemployment: uncertainty, financial strain, loss of self-esteem, concern with loss of esteem from others, sense of helplessness, depression
Personal factors and stress Stressful life events and physical illness Daily hassles: You’re on your own Individual differences in resistance to stress Optimism as a buffer against stress: problem-focused coping, seeking social support, taking a time out from other activities Gender and ethnic differences: Women report stronger positive and negative emotions and rely more on social support. Hispanics have both a social and a health advantage. Attitudes and stress (see the list on page 414 of the text)
Life events: some are more stressful than others Relative Stressfulness Death of a spouse 100 Divorce 73 Jail term 63 Death of a close family member Marriage 50 Fired from job 47 Retirement 45 Trouble with boss 23 Change in residence 20 Vacation 13 Christmas 12
Stress: some important effects Stress and physical health: 50-70% of physical illnesses are stress-related, including heart disease, ulcers, and diabetes Stress and mental health: anxiety, depression, irritation, anger, fatigue, reduced feelings of competence, self-worth, and job satisfaction, and a sense of helplessness Stress and behavior at work: impaired performance of complicated tasks, poor decision making, increased absenteeism, turnover, alcohol and drug abuse
Stress: some important effects Stress and physical health: 50-70% of physical illnesses are stress-related, including heart disease, ulcers, and diabetes Stress and mental health: anxiety, depression, irritation, anger, fatigue, reduced feelings of competence, self-worth, and job satisfaction, and a sense of helplessness Stress and behavior at work: impaired performance of complicated tasks, poor decision making, increased absenteeism, turnover, alcohol and drug abuse
Burnout Burnout begins with disillusionment: you can’t change things much, each day is the same old routine, each day brings more stress and more problems Physical exhaustion: headache, nausea, poor sleep, loss of energy and loss of appetite Emotional exhaustion: depression, emotional numbness, feelings of helplessness and feeling trapped, low sense of accomplishment
Burnout Major causes of burnout Prolonged exposure to stress Problems with the way the organization functions Conditions implying that your effects are useless, futile, ineffective, unrecognized, and unappreciated Supervisors who don’t show consideration Personal factors: taking the job too seriously, working in helping professions, being a hypercontroller, not having a communal orientation
Burnout Major effects of burnout Countering the effects of burnout Giving up and seeking new jobs or careers Taking a desk job within the same profession Countering the effects of burnout Seeking increased social support Developing hobbies and outside interests Relaxation strategies: short breaks, exercise, meditation, power naps List of recommendations on page 421
Techniques for managing stress Being married or having another strong social support network Maintaining a healthy lifestyle: getting regular physical exercise, eating right, avoiding drug and alcohol abuse Using effective coping techniques: emotional coping, mental coping, active behavioral coping Getting control of emotions: relaxation training, deep breathing, meditation, biofeedback training