Chapter 7 Nelson & Quick Stress and Well-Being at Work

What is Stress? 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, behavioral, and organizational consequences that may arise as a result of stressful events Strain – distress Homeostasis – a steady state of bodily functioning and equilibriuim

4 Stress Approaches: Homeostatic/Medical Approach Homeostasis Fight Flight External environmental demand + =

 Individuals differ in their appraisal of events & people  What is stressful for one person is not for another  Perception and cognitive appraisal determines what is stressful 4 Stress Approaches: Cognitive Appraisal Approach Problem-focused coping emphasizes managing the stressor Emotion-focused coping emphasizes managing your response

 No undue stress Good person-environment fit: a person’s skills & abilities match a clearly defined, consistent set of role expectations  Stress, strain, and depression occur when role expectations are confusing and/or conflicting, or when the person’s skills & abilities do not meet the demands of the social role 4 Stress Approaches: Person-Environment Fit Approach

4 Stress Approaches: Psychoanalytic Approach Ego Ideal - the embodiment of a person’s perfect self = the difference between ego ideal and self-image Self-Image - how a person sees oneself, both positively & negatively

The Stress Response Blood redirected from the skin & internal organs to brain and large muscles Increased alertness: improved vision, hearing, & other sensory responses Release of glucose & fatty acids for sustenance Depression of immune system, digestion, & similar restorative processes Release of chemical messengers, primarily adrenaline, into the bloodstream Sympathetic nervous system & the endocrine (hormone) system activated

Sources of Stress at Work

Stress Sources at Work

Stress Benefits and Costs

Yerkes-Dodson Law Performance arousal High Low (distress) Optimum (eustress) High (distress) Stress level Boredom from understimulation Optimum stress load Conditions perceived as stressful Distress from overstimulation

Positive Stress/Negative Stress  Stress response itself is neutral  Some stressful activities (aerobic exercise, etc.) can enhance a person’s ability to manage stressful demands or situations  Stress can provide a needed energy boost  Negative stress results from a prolonged activation of the stress response mismanagement of the energy induced by the response unique personal vulnerabilities

Individual Stress Work-related psychological disorders (depression, burnout, psychosomatic disorders) Medical illness (heart disease, strokes, headaches, backaches) Behavioral problems (substance abuse, violence, accidents)

How Employee Stress Can Impact the Organization Participative Problems - a cost associated with absenteeism, tardiness, strikes & work stoppages, & turnover Performance Decrement - a cost resulting from poor quality or low quantity of production, grievances, & unscheduled machine downtime & repair Compensation Award - an organizational cost resulting from court awards for job distress

Dealing with Stress - Achilles’ heel phenomenon - a person breaks down at his or her weakest point

Type A Behavior Patterns Type A Behavior Patterns - a complex of personality and behavior characteristics sense of time urgency “hurry sickness” quest for numbers (of achievements) status insecurity aggression & hostility expressed in response to frustration & conflict

Personality Hardiness Personality Hardiness - a personality resistant to distress & characterized by challenge (versus threat) commitment (versus alienation) control (versus powerlessness)

Organizational Stress Prevention  Focuses on people’s work demands  Focuses on ways to reduce distress at work  Most organizational prevention is primary job redesign goal setting role negotiation social support systems

Social Support at Work & Home Individual Organizational Supervisor Colleagues Subordinates Clients Family Spouse Children Parents In-laws Church Minister/Rabbi Friends Support groups Clubs Business associations Social clubs Athletic groups Professional Physicians Psychologists Counselors Lawyers SOURCE: From J. C. Quick J. D. Quick, D. L. Nelson and J. J. Hurrell, Jr., in Preventive Stress Management in Organizations, 1997, p Copyright© 1997 by The American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.

Preventative Stress Management - an organizational philosophy that holds that people & organizations should take joint responsibility for promoting health and preventing distress & strain Primary Prevention - designed to reduce, modify, or eliminate the demand or stressor causing stress Secondary Prevention - designed to alter or modify the individual’s or the organization’s response to a demand or stressor Tertiary Prevention - designed to heal individual or organizational symptoms of distress & strain Preventative Stress Management

Individual Preventive Stress Management