Stress Management

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StressManagement
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C H A P T E R
F I V E
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What is Stress?

• An adaptive response to a situation that is
  perceived as challenging or threatening to the
  persons well-being
• Stressors- an environmental condition or
  stimuli that places physical or emotional demand
  on a person
• Examples
• Physical
• Emotional

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Types of stress

• Episodic Stress- pattern of high stress followed
  by intervals of relief
• Chronic Stress- constant confrontation of
  stressors without relief
• Effects are
• constant
• additive
• Distress- stress that has a negative consequence
  on a persons well-being

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General Adaptation Syndrome

• Automatic defense system to help cope with with
  environmental demands
• Three stages of adaptation
• Alarm reaction- perception of stressor
• Resistance- ability to cope rises above normal
  because of activated defense mechanisms such as
  adrenaline
• Exhaustion- body must rest and recover from
  heightened resistance stage
• Prolonged resistance leads to system breakdown

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General Adaptation Syndrome
Stage 1 Alarm Reaction
Stage 2 Resistance
Stage 3 Exhaustion
DANGER ZONE
Normal Level of Resistance
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Stressors and Stress Outcomes
Work Stressors Physical environment Role-related
Interpersonal Organizational
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Role-Related Stressors

• Role conflict
• interrole conflict
• intrarole conflict
• person-role conflict
• Role ambiguity
• uncertain duties, authority
• Role overload/underload
• Task characteristics
• decisions, monitoring, traffic problems

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Stress Research

• Type A and complexity leads to cardiovascular
  problems
• Job Control, Job Complexity, Self-Efficacy
  interact to influence blood pressure
• Burnout as a process
• Emotional Exhaustion - lack of energy and a
  feeling that ones emotional resources are used
  up
• Coping Strategy for emotional buffer
• Sense of inadequacy

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Job Burnout Process
Interpersonal and Role-Related Stressors
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Antecedents

• Job Characteristics - client interactions,
  overload, ambiguity, conflict
• Organizational Characteristics - reward and
  punishment systems, job context (shift, psych
  environment, etc.)
• Personal Characteristics - Age, Social Support,
  Marriage, Expectations, Career progress

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Consequences

• Attitudinal
• Behavioral
• Interpersonal

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Social Support and Undermining

• Social Support- interpersonal transactions with
  others that provide either emotional or
  informational support
• reduces effects of stress
• feel valued
• feel capable of handling a situation
• buffers effects, someone to talk to, etc.
• Social Undermining

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Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• Leon Festinger 1967
• Three aspects of attitudes must follow each other
• cognitive aspect- knowledge about an object
• affective aspect- liking of the object
• behavioral aspect- behavior toward the object
• If dissonance is present there is stress and a
  need to change an aspect of the attitude to
  produce agreement among the elements

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Changing Aspects of Attitudes

• Affected by level of control
• can I control the aspects of my attitude?
• Do I have a choice regarding performance of the
  behavior?
• Behaviors are set by habit and view of others
• Ignore current knowledge
• Seek knew knowledge
• Alter beliefs
• Hypocrasy effects level of dissonance

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Emotional Labor

• Experiencing dissonance as a part of an
  individuals role
• Presenting a friendly attitude while holding a
  negative attitude
• Mainly in service positions where employees must
  always be happy
• flight attendants
• secretaries
• Backstage areas
• out of sight of customer

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Interpersonal Stressor Sexual Harassment

• Unwelcome conduct -- detrimental effect on work
  environment or job performance
• Quid pro quo
• employment or job performance is conditional on
  unwanted sexual relations
• Hostile work environment
• an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working
  environment

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Interpersonal Stressor Workplace Violence

• 2 million people experience some form of violence
  at work each year
• Most common cause of work-related death for
  women second most common for men
• Severe distress after experiencing or observing
  violence
• Also stress from working in high-risk jobs

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Work-Family Stressors

• Time-based conflict
• due to work schedule, commuting, travel
• for women -- still do most household chores
• Strain-based conflict
• work stress affects home, and vice versa
• Role behavior conflict
• incompatible work and family roles

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Top 10 Life Stressors

• 10. Retirement or quitting
• 9. Marital reconciliation
• 8. Fired from work
• 7. Marriage
• 6. Personal injury or illness
• 5. Death of a family member
• 4. Jail Term
• 3. Marital Separation
• 2. Divorce
• 1. Death

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Stress and Occupations
Accountant Artist Auto Mechanic Forester
Hospital manager Physician (GP) Psychologist Schoo
l principal
Police officer 911 operator U.S.
president Waiter/waitress
Low-Stress Occupations
High-Stress Occupations
Medium-Stress Occupations
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Individual Differences in Stress

• Perceive the situation differently
• Different threshold levels of resistance to
  stressor
• Use different stress coping strategies
• Personality Type

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Personality Type

• Type A- impatient, restless, competitive,
  aggressive, under intense perceived time
  pressure, always attempting to accomplish several
  things at once
• need job and career control
• have more health problems and shorter careers
• Type B- does not feel pressure, works slowly and
  enjoyably on a variety of tasks
• Important to match personality type with position
  to avoid stress

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Consequences of Distress

• Physiological consequences
• 50-75 of all illnesses
• Lower for women
• cardiovascular diseases
• ulcers, sexual dysfunction, headaches
• Behavioral consequences
• work performance, accidents, decisions
• absenteeism -- due to sickness and flight
• workplace aggression
• Psychological Consequences
• moodiness, depression, emotional fatigue

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Coping with STRESS

• Individual Coping Strategies
• Problem focused- solve the problem, dont
  procrastinate
• Time management- self-management
• scheduling, rewards, punishments
• Seeking Help
• mentoring- process of senior performer coaching a
  junior one
• Change jobs

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Coping....

• Emotion-focused
• Relaxation
• meditation
• napping
• Exercise
• Psychological
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Recreation
• Companionship

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Family-Friendly and Work/Life Initiatives

• Flexible work time
• Job sharing
• Telecommuting
• Personal leave
• Childcare facilities

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Other Stress Management Practices

• Withdrawing from the stressor
• person-job matching
• work breaks, stabilization zones, sabbaticals
• Changing stress perceptions
• self-efficacy, self-leadership
• Controlling stress consequences
• relaxation and meditation
• fitness and lifestyle programs
• Social support
• emotional and informational