Chapter-15-IO-PSYC H- Reviewer PDF

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OUTCOME TEST 5 COVERAGE:CHAPTER 15 : Stress Management: Dealingwith the Demands of Life and Workreference / IO Psych by AamodtStress - the psychological and physical reaction tocertain life events or situations.Stressors - life events or situations that cause stress.[such things as weddings, job int...

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OUTCOME TEST 5 COVERAGE: CHAPTER 15 : Stress Management: Dealing with the Demands of Life and Work reference / IO Psych by Aamodt

Stress - the psychological and physical reaction to certain life events or situations. Stressors - life events or situations that cause stress. [such things as weddings, job interviews, dentist appointments, basketball games, deadlines, and traffic jams.] Stress Reactivity - If we perceive these events as being stressful, our bodies respond in many ways, including elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, muscle tension, and perspiration. Strains - If these physical reactions occur for periods longer than our body can tolerate, negative physical and psychological consequences can occur. Optimal Level of arousal or "Inverted-U Theory" according to the inverted-U theory, having little arousal or too much arousal results in poor performance, whereas a moderate level results in the highest levels of performance. Eustress - Positive Stress, (from the root eu-, meaning something that is proper) occurs when stressors result in feelings of challenge or achievement—the feelings of stress get converted into positive energy and actually become motivating. You might say it is a desirable outcome of stress. An example of positive stress is the anxiety you feel before taking a test. If you felt no anxiety at all, you might not have the motivation and energy to spend the necessary time studying for the exam. Thus, some stress in this situation is probably helpful. Distress - Bad or negative stress., happens when there is too much stress and when nothing is done to eliminate, reduce, or counteract its effects. Distress usually occurs in situations or at events on which you place great importance (e.g., interviewing for a job),

that put great demands on you, and over which you eventually perceive you have little or no control. For example, having to wait in line to drop or add a class may be irritating, but it’s usually not a big enough deal to cause distress. PREDISPOSITION TO STRESS Stress Personalities Some personalities are more apt to respond negatively to stressors than are others. These include individuals with Type A personalities and neurotics. Type A Personalities Do you, or does someone you know, talk and walk fast, get impatient easily, and always seem to be in a hurry? Chances are you or the person you know has a Type A personality. Type A individuals are characterized mainly by achievement striving, impatience and time urgency, and anger and hostility. They tend to do many things at one time (called multitasking). For example, a Type A individual would read the paper while eating lunch, type on the computer while talking to someone on the phone, and eat breakfast while driving to work. Type B individuals seem to be more laid-back. That is, when a potentially stress-producing event occurs, they are better able to keep it in perspective and use more positive ways to deal with it. They are more relaxed and more agreeable. Neuroticism Although research over the years has identified several individual personality traits related to stress (e.g., pessimism, negative affectivity, reduced hardiness, and self-esteem), research indicates that these individual traits fall under the general trait of neuroticism. Neurotics are anxious, often depressed, and pessimistic and lack hope. They are more likely to perceive events as being stressful and more likely to have negative reactions to stressful events than are people who are more emotionally stable (Conard & Matthews, 2005).

Stress Sensitization - The amount of stress you have experienced throughout your life seems to affect how you will handle future stress. For instance, if you are exposed to high levels of stress (such as abuse) over a long duration, studies suggest that you are likely to react more quickly and more negatively to situations that are potentially stress producing because, in a sense, you have become “trained” to respond in such a way.

SOURCES OF STRESS Many events and factors could be considered stressors, and, as previously stated, what is stressful for one person may not be for another. 1. Personal Stressors - Personal sources of stress deal with such nonwork issues as family and intimate relationships, marriage, divorce, health issues, financial problems, and raising children. Difficult and angry people are also sources of stress because of the conflict they cause in our personal and work lives. (a) Fear - When we voluntarily or involuntarily leave a stage of our lives that has become comfortable and predictable, we enter another stage in which we don’t know what will happen. (b) Resistance - Let’s face it—some of us just don’t want to leave the security and structure of that which is known. We like the predictability in our lives, no matter how boring. (c) Resentment - Finally, changes that are forced on us, particularly those that we feel we had no control over or input into, can cause resentment. If we don’t want the change, don’t understand why we have to make the change, and don’t like how the change makes us feel (e.g., scared and confused), it raises feelings of resentment.

2. Occupational Stressors - Individuals who have been on their own and in the workforce full time seem preoccupied with the stress that work brings. Occupational stressors can be grouped under two broad categories: job characteristics and organizational characteristics. (a) Job Characteristics -

Three main job characteristics cause stress: role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload. i. Role conflict - occurs when our work expectations and what we think we should be doing don’t match up with the work we actually have to do. For example, a woman who was hired as assistant to the chief executive officer (CEO) of one particular organization was informed upon hire that she would be handling such administrative duties as policy development, participating as an equal partner in management meetings, and serving as a liaison between the CEO and the public. Role conflict can also occur when an employee has competing roles or conflicting roles. For example, an employee’s role as manager may require her to work on a Saturday, but her role as a mother requires her to attend her daughter’s soccer game on the same day.

ii. Role ambiguity - occurs when an individual’s job duties and performance expectations are not clearly defined. In the preceding example, the woman experienced not only role conflict but role ambiguity because what her boss expected her to do was different from what the other staff expected her to do. Although her boss referred to her as a “secretary,” a job title that clearly denotes certain duties, he felt that she should have an equal say in certain decisions affecting the organization. iii. Role overload - develops when individuals either feel they lack the skills or workplace resources to complete a task or perceive that the task cannot be done in the required amount of time. Not surprisingly, role overload is highly correlated with stress. Role overload can cause anxiety, depression, and anger, especially when employees have little control over their jobs.

3. Organizational Stressors Organizational characteristics that are likely to cause stress include such factors as person–organization fit, organizational rules and policies, supervisory relationships, and organizational change. (a) Person–Organization Fit - The term person/organization fit refers to how well such factors as your skills, knowledge, abilities, expectations, personality, values, and attitudes match those of the organization.

(b) Change - a major contributor to organizational stress is change, which occurs most often from downsizing and restructuring. Realizing the amount of stress accompanying change, organizations are placing increasing emphasis on workplace wellness by offering programs that teach employees how to cope with change and manage stress. (c) Relation with Others - Our coworkers and customers can be a major source of workplace stress. it is important to understand the stress associated with conflict, working with difficult people, dealing with angry customers, and feeling that you are not being treated fairly. (d) Organizational Politics - an important source of employee stress is the perceived use of organizational politics. Organizational politics are self-serving behaviors employees use to increase the probability of obtaining positive outcomes in organizations. i. Positive Politics - are behaviors designed to influence others with the goal of helping both the organization and the person playing the politics. Examples of positive politics include, portraying a professional image, publicizing one’s accomplishments, volunteering, and complimenting others. ii. Negative Politics - are manipulative behaviors designed to achieve personal gain at the expense of others and the organization. Examples of negative politics include backstabbing, withholding important information from others, and spreading rumors.

4. Stressors in the Physical Work Environment (a) Noise - high levels of noise increase stress, reduce performance, and make workers unhappy. i. Pleasantness - sounds that have the same frequency, intensity, and loudness. ii. Difficulty of the Task - Noise affects difficult tasks or those that involve cognitive and perceptual skills more than it affects less difficult tasks or those that involve physical performance. iii. Individual Differences - determine the degree to which noise will affect performance.

(b) Noise Reduction - setting legal time limits on the exposure to noise at different decibel levels. (c) Temperature - Perhaps the best place to begin a discussion of the effects of temperature is by describing how the human body tries to maintain an ideal temperature. When body temperature is above normal, we cool down in one of two ways. i. Radiation - we cool down with the excess heat radiating away from the body. ii. Evaporation - we cool down sweating away excess heat. Effective Temperature - The combination of air temperature, humidity, airflow, and heat radiation that determines how hot or cold the environment feels. The degree of deterioration, however, depends on several factors, including the type of task, the workload, and the number and frequency of rest periods that are allowed. (1) Effects on Tasks - Research indicates that extremely high or low temperatures can affect performance on cognitive, physical, and perceptual tasks. (2) Effects Related to Workload - High temperatures obviously most affect work performance when workloads are heavy. That is, an effective temperature of 95 degrees would quickly affect a person using a sledgehammer but take longer to affect a person pulling weeds. (3) Rest Periods - Temperature will have the greatest effect on performance when work activity is continuous. With rest breaks, the effects of either heat or cold can be greatly reduced.

5. Other Source of Stress (a) Minor Frustration - Minor frustration is stress we encounter in our daily lives, and it might include irritations such as waiting in traffic or not being able to get some information from the library. These shortterm frustrations may then carry over to the next day

and then the next, until finally they become long-term stressors. i. Perspective Taking - means rating the frustration on a scale of 1–10, with 10 meaning the situation is worthy of high levels of irritation.

(b) Forecasting - The stress from forecasting develops from our constantly worrying about the future and wasting time and energy on “what ifs?” This continuous fretting about things over which we may have no control (such as the end of the universe from aliens!) or that may never even happen can become very emotionally and physically draining, not to mention debilitating. Forecasting very quickly becomes longterm stress as we continue to keep our minds and bodies in a fearful and anxious state. (c) Residual Stress - Residual stress is stress that is carried over from previous stressful situations that we refuse to “let go.” Minor frustrations can become residual stress if we don’t handle those daily problems effectively and rehash them over and over again. CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS 1. Personal Consequences - responding with anger or rage can lead to family members being hurt, the loss of jobs, and perhaps trouble with the law. Responding with the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to addiction, broken relationships, and even death. Financially, the impaired decisions we make while under stress can have negative consequences.

(c) Absenteeism and Turnover - resulting in loss of productivity and subsequently revenues, are highest during times of burnout and increased stress as employees struggle to deal with physical and emotional ailments. (d) Drug and Alcohol Abuse - as stress levels rise and anger increases, often so does the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Most incidents of domestic and other types of violence occur after an individual has been drinking or using drugs. This doesn’t excuse the violator’s behavior, but it does indicate the relationship of drugs and alcohol to anger and rage. (e) Health care costs - One other organizational, as well as personal, consequence of stress is an increase in health insurance premiums. Because of the high use of medical facilities and options by others suffering from illnesses caused by stress, organizations that at one time paid the full cost for health insurance benefits are passing the increases on to the employees. MANAGING STRESS 1. Planning for Stress -Some of the techniques that are suggested to proactively reduce stress should also be considered during times you are actually engaged in stress. (a) Exercise - Exercising not only keeps your heart strong and resistant to the effects of stress, but can also help reduce your stress levels during particular stressful moments. It is a good idea to incorporate some kind of exercise program into your life at least three or four times a week for 20 minutes.

2. Organizational Consequences (a) Job Performance - Studies show that in general, high levels of stress reduce performance on many tasks. However, as mentioned earlier, a curvilinear relationship between stress and job performance

(b) Laughter - Humor has been shown to buffer stress in several ways . First, it can help you put a new perspective on a stressful situation.

may exist in that moderate levels of stress actually improve productivity, increase energy levels, and heighten creativity (Muse, Harris, & Field, 2003).

Physically, laughter can reduce your blood pressure. Studies show that laughing through a funny movie has the same effect on your heart as 10 minutes on a rowing machine

(b) Burnout - the state of being overwhelmed by stress, is usually experienced by highly motivated professionals faced with high work demands.

(c) Diet - Foods that have been shown to counteract the effects of stress include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat yogurt, which contains the B

vitamin considered to be lost during highstress periods of time. (d) Smoking Reduction - Though many smokers say smoking decreases their feelings of stress, research indicates that smoking increases the physiological characteristics associated with stress. This is an important finding because research also indicates that smokers increase their smoking when they feel stressed. (e) Sleep - There is no one study that says absolutely just how much individuals need to sleep. What studies show is that sleep deprivation or lack of sleep can cause negative behavior such as irritability, fatigue, lack of concentration, and even depression. (f) Support Network - Studies show that people who have someone to talk to, like a family member or a friend, are better able to manage their stress. (g) Self-Empowerment - management can empower employees by giving them more control over important decisions that affect their lives. This has become important to organizations because research suggests that not having input into matters that affect us can be a big source of stress. (h) Coping Skills - Improving your coping skills often means learning how to deal with conflict. It also means learning how to accept what you can’t change. Spending energy and time worrying about it or being angry is a waste of time. The best solution for them is to find areas that they can control to meet organizational change.

Voucher Systems - Child-care policy in which an organization pays all or some of its employees’ childcare costs at private child-care centers by providing the employees with vouchers.

Referral Service - A system of child care in which an employer maintains a list of certified childcare centers that can be used by its employees....