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Organizational Behavior, Version 1.1
Bauer & Erdogan

Chapter 7
Managing Stress and Emotions
TRUE/FALSE

1. There are a variety of ways to lessen stress in the workplace.


(True)

2. Stress, or the body’s response to a change that requires a physical, mental or


emotional response, is always bad for the individual.
(False)

3. Eighty percent of all American workers report they feel workplace stress at least
some of the time.
(True)

4. The amygdala section of the brain is responsible for stimulating fear responses.
(True)

5. The human brain responds to outside threats to individual safety with a “fight or
flight” message.
(True)

6. The General Adaptation Syndrome looks at how events on the job cause
different kinds of people to feel different kinds of emotions.
(False)

7. In the resistance phase of stress, an outside stressor jolts an individual insisting


that something must be done.
(False)

8. John’s company downsized, and John is now performing his own job plus most
of his former coworker Sidney’s job. John is now experiencing role ambiguity.
(False)

9. Role conflict is a result of contradictory demands at work.


(True)

10. Role conflict is the strongest predictor of poor performance on the job.
(False)

11. Information overload negatively impacts employee efficiency and creativity.


(True)

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12. A Health magazine survey indicates that the most stressful job in 2008 was that
of police officer.
(False)

13. Overall, work-family conflict is more problematic for men than women.
(False)

14. On the Holmes-Rahe scale, the most stressful life event is the death of a spouse.
(True)

15. Eustress is “good” stress.


(True)

16. Downsizing or the expectation of downsizing is related to greater absence in the


workforce.
(True)

17. The outcomes of stress are only psychological in their orientation.


(False)

18. Blemishes and other skin problems can be outward manifestations of stress.
(True)

19. The link between stress and heart disease has been proven by the American
Heart Association to be strong.
(False)

20. Persistent stress has the potential to place vulnerable individuals at an increased
risk for depression.
(True)

21. Research shows that excessive stress is related to higher turnover and lower job
performance.
(True)

22. Marissa is generally a few minutes late for class. She feels that “class will be
there, why rush?” Marissa always thinks through how to address problems that
arise for her rather than responding first and thinking later. Marissa has a Type A
personality.
(False)

23. Men rely upon stronger social networks to address stressful situations, so men
are more likely to be depressed than women.
(False)

24. The old adage “Have a good cry” is great advice to deal with stress that has built
up in an individual.
(False)

25. The “Corporate Athlete” approach to dealing with stress is a reactive approach.

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(False)

26. Flow is the state of consciousness where individuals are totally absorbed in an
activity.
(True)

27. Fish contains dopamine, which can increase a person’s brain functions and thus
produce feelings of alertness.
(True)

28. Physically active work breaks lead to reduced mental concentration levels and
increased mental fatigue.
(False)

29. Most American adults get the appropriate amount of sleep each night.
(False)

30. Individuals with a strong social network are more stressed than individuals who
do not have such networks because of the increased interpersonal demands of
large social networks.
(False)

31. Stress-related issues cost companies billions of dollars annually due to


absenteeism, lost productivity, and accidents.
(True)

32. Organizations can help employees reduce stress by offering them greater
autonomy in their jobs, making their job duties clear, and providing employee
assistance programs.
(True)

33. Firms like Apple are interested in how products are perceived emotionally
because strong positive emotions make individuals more likely to use a product
and recommend it to others.
(True)

34. Both positive and negative emotions can be contagious, but the spillover from
positive emotions lasts longer than negative ones.
(False)

35. According to Affective Events Theory, the six emotions of anger, fear, joy, love,
sadness and surprise inspire actions that can benefit or harm others.
(True)

36. The customer service representative at the department store who keeps smiling
as she listens to the customer bitterly complain about her newly purchased
product is engaging in deep acting.
(False)

37. Americans enjoy much greater leisure time than their European counterparts.

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(False)

38. Recognizing that customers’ negative emotions were eroding sales


representatives’ morale, American Express used emotional resonance to identify
employees’ feelings about their work.
(True)

39. American Express’ emotional awareness training program probably raised overall
life insurance sales because sales representatives began to view their jobs from
the customer’s viewpoint.
(True)

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Opening Section: Facing Foreclosure: The Case of Camden Property Trust

40. What is Camden Property Trust’s motto:


a. Have fun!
b. Work hard!
c. Money is the most important thing!
d. You can never work too hard!
(a) Medium/Comprehension

Section I: What is Stress?

41. Stress is
a. a fact of nature.
b. decreasing in the American workplace.
c. a mental barrier, but not a physical one.
d. always negative.
(a) Easy/Comprehension

42. Which of the following is not a type of response to stress?


a. physical
b. mental
c. emotional
d. societal
(d) Easy/Knowledge

43. General Adaptive Syndrome is


a. how events on the job cause different kinds of people to feel different
emotions.
b. the hypothesis that stress plays a general role in disease.
c. the body’s response to good news.
d. the mismatch among emotions, attitudes, beliefs and behavior.
(a) Easy/Knowledge

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44. Which region of the brain is responsible for stimulating the fear response?
a. hippocampus
b. basal ganglia
c. temporal lobe
d. amygdala
(d) Easy/Knowledge

45. Hans Selye’s work on stress suggests all the following physical diseases could
result from stress EXCEPT:
a. high blood pressure.
b. infertility.
c. depression.
d. ulcers.
(b) Easy/Comprehension

46. In what stress phase does the body release cortisol and begin to adjust to the
demands of the stress?
a. alarm phase
b. exhaustion phase
c. adaptation phase
d. resistance phase
(d) Medium/Knowledge

47. Fight or flight responses include all of the following physical aspects but
a. wide-eye focus.
b. digestion interruption.
c. decreased heart rate.
d. shallow breathing.
(c) Medium/Knowledge

It is finals week at State University and Agnes has five finals in three days. What phase
of the stress process is she experiencing in each of the scenarios below?

48. Agnes just went through the kitchen cupboards and found a chocolate bar loaded
with caramel. She is experiencing the
a. exhaustion phase.
b. alarm phase.
c. resistance phase.
d. adaptation phase.
(a) Medium/Application

49. Agnes glances at the clock and notes it is three hours until her first final of the
week. She still has two chapters to study. She feels a slight pain in the pit of her
stomach. Agnes is experiencing symptoms of what stress phase?
a. exhaustion phase
b. alarm phase
c. resistance phase
d. stressor phase
(b) Medium/Application

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50. Which of the following statements about the stress process is correct?
a. The amygdala area of the brain is key to managing stress as it helps
distinguish the different reactions to deadlines and emergencies.
b. Reactions to stress are mental but not physical in their orientation.
c. Jans Kelly’s General Adaptation Syndrome is a well-substantiated
approach to dealing with stress in the workplace.
d. Eustress is stress that is healing.
(d) Medium/Comprehension

51. Stressors are


a. demands to perform interactions and internal calculations that exceed the
supply or capacity of time available for processing.
b. states of consciousness in which a person is totally absorbed in an
activity.
c. events on the job which cause different people to feel different emotions.
d. events or contexts that cause a stress reaction by elevating levels of
adrenaline and forcing a physical or mental response.
(d) Easy/Knowledge

52. Which of the following statements about stressors is INCORRECT?


a. An American Psychological Association survey suggests that money,
work, and housing are at the top of stressful issues.
b. No matter how they are categorized, stressors are always bad for
individuals.
c. Stressors cause stress by elevating adrenaline levels and forcing a
response.
d. Stress is a cumulative process.
(b) Medium/Comprehension

53. Role ambiguity is


a. vagueness in relation to job responsibilities.
b. insufficient time and resources to complete a job.
c. contradictory demands at work.
d. processing demands that exceed the supply of time for such processing.
(a) Easy/Knowledge

54. Facing contradictory demands at work is a form of


a. role ambiguity.
b. role conflict.
c. role overload.
d. information overload.
(b) Easy/Knowledge

55. Role overload is


a. inability to reconcile the demands of one’s work and home life.
b. facing contradictory demands at work.
c. having insufficient time and resources to complete a job.
d. vagueness in relation to what job responsibilities are.
(c) Easy/Knowledge

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56. Information processing demands that exceed the supply or capacity of time
available for such processing is
a. role conflict.
b. role ambiguity.
c. role overload.
d. information overload.
(d) Medium/Application

57. Mary is a new employee in the handbag department of a major department store.
She is not entirely sure whether she is to simply stay on the sales floor and sell
purses to customers, or if she is to sell the items and then go back into the
stockroom to replenish them. Mary is experiencing
a. information overload.
b. role ambiguity.
c. role overload.
d. role conflict.
(b) Medium/Application

58. Rodney is experiencing a real dilemma. His boss just called him and told him that
he had to attend a dinner meeting Wednesday night with some important out-of-
town clients. Rodney’s daughter just called and told him she will be dancing a
solo at her dance recital on Wednesday evening. Rodney is experiencing
a. role conflict.
b. role overload.
c. information overload.
d. role ambiguity.
(a) Medium/Application

59. Joe was diagnosed with cancer six months ago. He is back at work between
chemotherapy treatments but is unable to work more than four hours per day.
Diego has been covering all Joe’s assignments that extend beyond Joe’s four-
hour day as well as covering the regular tasks of his own eight-hour shift. Diego
is likely experiencing
a. role ambiguity.
b. role overload.
c. role conflict.
d. information overload.
(b) Medium/Application

60. Omar is sitting at his computer writing his organizational behavior term paper
using Internet research while he e-mails his friends and watches the NFL
Thursday night football game. His phone just rang and now he is also talking to
his girlfriend. Omar is likely experiencing
a. role conflict.
b. information overload.
c. role ambiguity.
d. role overload.
(b) Medium/Application

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61. Research on workplace stressors indicates
a. role conflict is the strongest predictor of poor performance.
b. when role ambiguity is low, new employees have a difficult time fitting into
their new organizations.
c. role conflict hurts job performance, but role overload has little impact on
job performance.
d. the fragmented fashion in which we work due to information overload
impacts mental acuity and creativity.
(d) Difficult/Evaluation

62. All of the following are key stressors for Health magazine’s “Ten Most Stressful
Jobs” EXCEPT
a. knowledge demands.
b. time demands.
c. emotional demands.
d. physical demands.
(a) Medium/Comprehension

63. Which is the most stressful job in America as noted in a 2008 Health magazine?
a. miner
b. inner city high school teacher
c. police officer
d. judge
(b) Medium/Knowledge

64. Which of the following statements regarding work-family conflict is INCORRECT?


a. Work demands and family demands may be incompatible.
b. Escalating stressors are found where stress in one area of life spills over
into other parts of life.
c. Work-family conflict is greater for men than for women.
d. Dual career families have created situations where there is no parent who
has sole responsibility for childcare or household duties.
(c) Medium/Analysis

65. Which of the following statements regarding work-family conflict is correct?


a. Work-family conflict increases job and life satisfaction.
b. Organizations that have programs to assist employees in achieving work-
family balance accept that these programs will reduce productivity while
increasing retention.
c. Recent surveys show that Americans rarely work overtime.
d. Work-family conflict occurs when the demands of work and family
negatively impact each other.
(d) Difficult/Comprehension

66. Which of the following statements regarding life changes is INCORRECT?


a. Stress results from negative life changes but not from positive ones.
b. The Holmes-Rahe scale ascribes stress values to life events based upon
incidences of illness and death in the 12 months after such events.

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c. Stressors are cumulative so the greater number of stressors you
experience, the more prone you are to negative consequences of those
stressors.
d. Life events can have varying impacts on our health and well-being.
(a) Medium/Evaluation

67. Research on downsizing indicates all of the following to be true about downsizing
EXCEPT
a. since 1980, the service industry has accounted for the largest average
percentage of firms which downsized five or more percent of their
workforces.
b. downsizing and job insecurity are related to greater alcohol use.
c. downsizing leads to other stressful events such as financial insecurity.
d. creativity in the work environment declines significantly during
downsizing.
(a) Medium/Evaluation

68. Which of the following statements regarding life stressors is correct?


a. Work-family conflict is slightly greater for men than women.
b. Expectations of future downsizing leads to greater absenteeism in the
workplace.
c. Stress results only from negative life events; positive life events increase
feelings of satisfaction.
d. Organizations cannot aid employees in dealing with work-family conflicts
as any interference from the firm would be seen as an invasion of privacy.
(b) Difficult/Synthesis

69. Which of the following is not a physiological outcome of stress?


a. heart disease
b. immune system suppression
c. skin problems
d. headaches
(a) Easy/Knowledge

70. Which of the following is not an established psychological outcome of stress?


a. emotional problems
b. anxiety
c. phobias
d. depression
(c) Easy/Knowledge

71. Research on stress in the workplace indicates all of the following EXCEPT
a. stress is related to higher turnover.
b. stress is related to decreased job performance.
c. stress is related to lower job commitment.
d. stress is related to higher organizational citizenship behaviors.
(d) Medium/Analysis

72. Marcus is a student at State University. He seems to run to each of his classes
and is very upset with the professor if class does not begin exactly on time. He

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studies until the late hours of the night and will argue with his professor for every
possible point on a multiple choice exam. Marcus would be classified as having
a. Type A personality.
b. Type B personality.
c. pessimistic personality.
d. neurotic personality.
(a) Medium/Application

73. Anita seems to take life as it comes. When the refrigerator and washing machine
broke down in the same day flooding the kitchen, she laughed it off saying, “It
could always be worse.” She then went and called the appliance repair service.
Anita has a _________________ personality.
a. Type A
b. Type B
c. pessimistic.
d. neurotic
(b) Medium/Application

74. A Type B personality displays which of the following characteristics?


a. impatience.
b. deep levels of job involvement.
c. high level competitiveness
d. logical decision making.
(d) Easy/Knowledge

75. Research on individual differences in the type of stress experienced by


employees indicates all of the following EXCEPT
a. babies may be predisposed to a more stressful life from birth if mothers
experience a great deal of stress during pregnancy.
b. due to their stronger social networks, women process stress more
effectively than men.
c. men become depressed more often than women.
d. individuals with Type A personalities are more likely to experience
negative organizational outcomes.
(c) Medium/Evaluation

76. Research on crying as a stress reliever suggests


a. the old adage is true: “Let it all out with a good cry.”
b. criers are less depressed, less anxious and less tired than those who
wept less.
c. crying is much more successful than humor at combating stress.
d. crying may intensify negative feelings because it is a social signal that the
individual weeping is very upset.
(d) Medium/Evaluation

Section II: Avoiding and Managing Stress

77. The “corporate athlete approach” to stress is


a. a reactive approach to the problem
b. to avoid challenges so as not to be overwhelmed by them.

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c. to train mind and body to perform at peak levels by using better nutrition,
and positive action.
d. a technique to change eustress into distress.
(c) Medium/Comprehension

78. Flow is
a. applying the principles of athletic performance to workplace performance.
b. a state of consciousness where a person is totally absorbed in an activity.
c. the regulation of feelings and expressions for organizational purposes.
d. ongoing negative emotional states resulting from dissatisfaction.
(b) Easy/Knowledge

79. Gordon is not focused on his work but has a great deal of energy. He is most
likely to
a. be disengaged at work.
b. be distracted at work.
c. be a procrastinator.
d. be totally absorbed in work.
(b) Difficult/Synthesis

80. A manager with low focus and low energy would


a. procrastinate at work.
b. be distracted at work.
c. be disengaged at work.
d. be totally absorbed in work.
(a) Difficult/Evaluation

81. Work that flows


a. offers opportunities for a large number of breaks.
b. offers the employee little opportunity to comment on the task at hand.
c. offers high pay.
d. offers opportunities to use skills possessed by the employee.
(d) Medium/Comprehension

82. Work that flows includes all of the following characteristics EXCEPT
a. competence.
b. challenge.
c. conformity.
d. choice.
(c) Medium/Comprehension

83. Diet acts as an individual lifestyle choice to impact stress levels. Which of the
following statements about diet is INCORRECT?
a. Eating light meals in the middle of the day may slow down the body
because there is insufficient food energy available to stimulate the brain
to react to stress.
b. Greasy foods make a person feel tired because digestion of the fats in
such foods diverts blood from the brain.
c. The dopamine in fish produces a feeling of alertness.
d. Eating fish for lunch tends to improves reaction times.

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(a) Medium/Evaluation

84. Research indicates that exercise is an effective strategy for managing stress.
Which of the following statements best describes some of the findings from
studies on exercise and stress?
a. Physically active breaks, like walking, actually increase mental fatigue.
b. Exercise, like light calisthenics, actually absorbs energy.
c. Light exercise tends to erode hand-eye coordination as well as fine motor
control.
d. Regular exercise increases the body’s ability to draw oxygen out of the
air, thus combating stress.
(d) Medium/Evaluation

85. Sleep research on stress indicates all of the following EXCEPT


a. workers who miss work because of exhaustion become rejuvenated and
face less stress upon their return to work.
b. about one third of adults have trouble sleeping.
c. work-life conflict makes good sleep difficult to achieve.
d. insomnia is a stress-related epidemic.
(a) Medium/Comprehension

86. Which of the following statements about individual approaches to managing


stress is INCORRECT?
a. Time management practices like prioritizing and keeping a schedule help
reduce stress.
b. Social support can buffer the effects of stress.
c. When workdays are broken into smaller parts, stress can be shifted to a
state of flow.
d. Physical activity increases mental fatigue, which increases stress levels.
(d) Difficult/Synthesis

87. Stress in the form of job challenge leads to:


a. Higher turnover
b. Higher performance.
c. Higher absenteeism.
d. Higher commitment.
(b) Medium/Comprehension

88. All of the following are steps that firms are taking to assist employees in dealing
with stress in the workplace EXCEPT
a. creating jobs with autonomy and control.
b. replacing employees who are stressed with more resilient employees.
c. ensuring fairness in the workplace.
d. clarifying expectations of employees.
(b) Medium/Comprehension

89. Which of the following is a technique used by firms to reduce the stress
experienced by their employees?
a. Create job descriptions for employees that are less specific and focused.
b. Shift control over critical decisions to higher levels in the organization.

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c. Base pay decisions on tenure as opposed to performance.
d. Train managers to be more interpersonally sensitive.
(d) Difficult/Synthesis

90. Research on telecommuting indicates which of the following?


a. Telecommuting decreases stress but increases work family conflict.
b. Telecommuting increases job satisfaction but decreases job performance.
c. Telecommuting increases job performance and decreases turnover.
d. Telecommuting decreases stress but also decreases job performance.
(c) Difficult/Evaluation

91. All of the following statements regarding telecommuting are correct EXCEPT
a. telecommuting is a universally effective process; regardless of job or
employee, it is effective.
b. increasing numbers of workers, including many government employees
are engaged in telecommuting.
c. research on telecommuting indicates that stress is lower and job
satisfaction and job performance higher when the program is instituted.
d. telecommuting success is dependent on matching the right employee to
the right job in the right environment.
(a) Difficult/Evaluation

92. Which of the following statements regarding organizational steps to managing


employee stress is correct?
a. Sabbaticals are stress-reduction programs found only in the university
setting.
b. Employee assistance programs are found only in large Fortune 500
companies.
c. Telecommuting decreases stress, but increases work-family conflict
because the employee is working from home.
d. Employees experience less stress when their assignments are clear.
(d) Difficult/Evaluation

93. Which of the following statements regarding organizational steps to managing


employee stress is correct?
a. Employee assistance programs often address legal or financial problems
of the employee.
b. Employee autonomy increases stress and decreases job satisfaction.
c. Company sabbaticals are paid vacations for extended periods of time.
d. Organizations’ that have a fair environment are less profitable but have
higher employee retention rates.
(a) Difficult/Evaluation

Section III: Emotions

94. Which of the following is not a negative emotion?


a. anger
b. fear
c. surprise
d. sadness

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(c) Easy/Knowledge

95. Which of the following statements regarding positive emotions is INCORRECT?


a. Positive feelings dispose an individual to optimism but make him less
open to new ideas.
b. Individuals feeling positive emotions like contentment experience a
sensation of having something they did not have before.
c. Firms are interested in the emotional reaction their products create
because those who experience strong positive emotions for a product
tend to recommend it to others.
d. Having positive emotions can lead to upward positive spirals of good
emotions.
(a) Difficult/Synthesis

96. Which of the following statements about negative emotions is INCORRECT?


a. Negative emotions like anger can result from an event such as not having
your opinions heard by your supervisor.
b. Employees who manage their negative emotions are involved in fewer
conflicts than employees who do not.
c. Negative emotions that are not managed can become the norm in a
workplace.
d. Negative emotions are always destructive in the workplace.
(d) Medium/Evaluation

97. Which of the following statements regarding research on emotional contagion is


INCORRECT?
a. Both positive and negative emotions can be contagious.
b. Some people are more susceptible to emotional contagion than others.
c. The spillover from positive emotions lasts longer than that from negative
emotions.
d. Emotions are especially salient in teams and thus teams can exhibit
emotional contagion just as individuals can.
(c) Medium/Evaluation

Section IV: Emotions at Work

98. Which of the following is NOT an emotion that is part of the Affective Events
Theory?
a. jealousy
b. surprise
c. anger
d. fear
(a) Easy/Knowledge

99. Jennifer strongly dislikes her next-door neighbors, yet every time she sees them
she stops to pleasantly chat with them for a few moments. Jennifer is engaging in
a. genuine acting.
b. surface acting.
c. deep acting.
d. cognitive acting.

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(b) Medium/Application

100. When an individual is displaying emotions he does not feel, he is engaging in


a. deep acting.
b. surface acting.
c. genuine acting.
d. cognitive dissonance.
(a) Easy/Knowledge

101. Genuine acting is


a. pretending to experience emotions not really felt.
b. exhibiting physical signs that reflect emotions not felt.
c. displaying emotions in alignment with your emotions.
d. a mismatch of emotions.
(c) Easy/Knowledge

102. You are a salesperson in a major department store. Though you might not
actually believe it, you follow the policy of “the customer is always right” in your
daily work at the store. However, since you do not agree with that view, you often
experience
a. surface acting.
b. genuine acting.
c. deep acting
d. cognitive dissonance.
(d) Medium/Application

103. Which of the following is not a way to alleviate cognitive dissonance?


a. Change your behavior.
b. Change the facts of the situation.
c. Change your belief.
d. Smile more.
(d) Easy/Comprehension

104. Which of the following is NOT a building block of emotional intelligence?


a. self-awareness
b. business management
c. relationship management
d. self-management
(b) Easy/Knowledge

105. When you understand how OTHERS feel you are exhibiting which of the building
blocks of emotional intelligence?
a. self-awareness
b. self-management
c. social awareness
d. relationship management
(c) Easy/Comprehension

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106. Marcus knows that he is flexible, enjoys challenging goals, and is very concerned
about the security of his job. Marcus understands which of the following building
blocks of the emotional intelligence concept?
a. self-management
b. relationship management
c. social awareness
d. self- awareness
(d) Medium/Application

107. Research on emotional intelligence suggests that the emotion most helpful to
creating a successful team is
a. joy.
b. empathy.
c. flexibility.
d. self-control.
(b) Easy/Comprehension

108. Research suggests high levels of emotional intelligence lead to which of the
following?
a. higher life satisfaction.
b. cognitive dissonance
c. higher stress levels.
d. greater propensity to perceive situations as threats.
(a) Medium/Comprehension

Section IV: The Role of Emotions and Stress for Ethics and Culture

109. Joshua Greene’s study of how our minds and bodies react to difficult situations
found all of the following EXCEPT
a. Study subjects were able to agree on what was the best of possible evils
in a scenario.
b. Human decisions are mostly rational, not impacted by emotion.
c. Magnetic imaging suggests emotional scenarios require greater use of
our brains than unemotional scenarios.
d. Identification of our emotions can assist us in more appropriately
responding to emotional situations.
(b) Difficult/Synthesis

110. Research on stress and leisure time around the world suggests which of the
following?
a. Compared to Europeans, Americans work longer hours.
b. Japanese work 500 hours less than their counterparts in the USA.
c. Americans are better in time management compared to their European
counterparts.
d. Americans are less likely to be employed than Europeans.
(a) Easy/Knowledge

Closing Section: Getting Emotional: The Case of American Express

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111. What impact did emotional awareness training have on employees at American
Express?
a. The training increased sales.
b. The training decreased coping skills.
c. The training taught aggressive sales tactics to overcome the negative
responses of customers.
d. The training created greater barriers between the customers and the
sales representatives.
(a) Medium/Comprehension

112. Analysis of emotional training suggests


a. such training can increase a firm’s bottom line.
b. such training decreases coping skills in a firm.
c. that companies cannot profit if employees recognize clients’ feelings.
d. employees rate caring bosses just below salary increases.
(a) Medium/Analysis

113. Emotional resonance


a. is a technique that ignores the negative emotions of clients.
b. is the gap between individuals’ words and their true feelings.
c. is a technique that identifies employees’ feelings about their work.
d. Is an emotional barrier between individuals.
(c) Easy/Knowledge

FILL IN THE BLANK

114. American Express used a technique called _________ _______ to identify its
employees’ feelings about their work.
(emotional resonance)

115. ________ is the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or
emotional adjustment or response.
(Stress)

116. The _______________ is the region of the brain responsible for stimulating fear
responses.
(amygdala)

117. The _____________ _____________ _____________ is a hypothesis by Hans


Selye that suggests that stress plays a general role in disease by exhausting the
body’s immune system.
(General Adaptation Syndrome)

118. “Fight or flight” is the reaction to an outside stressor in the first phase, or
____________ phase of stress.
(alarm)

119. During the resistance phase of stress, the body begins to release _________
and draws on fat and sugar reserves to adjust to the demands of stress.

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(cortisol)

120. The stressor has significantly weakened the individual during the ___________
phase of stress.
(exhaustion)

121. ________ _______ refers to a vagueness as to what your responsibilities are.


(Role ambiguity)

122. Maggie’s boss wants her to complete the department project by next week. Her
team leader for the corporate project wants her to travel to New York in the next
few days to work on that item. Maggie is experiencing _____ ____________.
(role conflict)

123. Having insufficient time and resources to complete a job is called ______
_________.
(role overload)

124. You are at the computer working on the Internet gathering information for your
term paper, your cell phone is ringing, you are receiving emails and the television
is on. You are likely experiencing __________ _____________.
(information overload)

125. Flexible scheduling is one approach to addressing _________-______ conflict.


(work-family)

126. _________ is “good” stress experienced for such events as an outstanding


personal achievement or getting married.
(Eustress)

127. Nancy is always impatient. She seems to run around the office completing this
task and that. She is always the first one to work and the last to leave. Nancy has
a ________ ___ personality.
(Type A)

128. The state of consciousness when an individual is totally absorbed by an activity


is ____________.
(flow)

129. Two individual lifestyle choices that one can make to try to decrease feelings of
stress include: ____________ and ______________.
(diet, exercise, sleep, time management, social support network)

130. _____________ is working remotely from home or some other locale during a
portion of the workweek.
(Telecommuting)

131. A practice that has been widely used by universities that provides paid time off
from the normal routine of work is called a ______________.
(sabbatical)

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132. Individuals who are experiencing substance abuse problems may seek help
provided by their firms but offered through an outside source in an
_____________ _____________ program.
(Employee assistance)

133. Positive emotions include __________, _______ and ___________.


(joy, love, surprise)

134. _____, ______, and ______ are examples of negative emotions.


(anger, fear, and sadness)

135. The _______ _______ Theory explores how events on the job cause different
kinds of people to feel different emotions.
(Affective Events)

136. When a hair cutter smiles even though the young child whose hair she is cutting
is crying and squirming, the hair cutting is exhibiting __________.
(surface acting)

137. ________ __________ is the regulation of feelings and expressions for


organizational purposes.
(Emotional labor)

138. When a person pretends to experience emotions he does not feel, he is


engaging in _________.
(deep acting)

139. The mismatch between emotions, attitudes, beliefs and behavior is ______
____________.
(cognitive dissonance)

140. The subject of __________ ____________, examined by Daniel Goleman, looks


at how people can understand each other more completely by becoming more
aware of their own and others’ emotions.
(emotional intelligence)

SHORT ANSWERS

141. Define stress and briefly discuss its prevalence in the workplace.

Stress is the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental, or


emotional adjustment or response. Today, stress is inevitable and everywhere.
While we can’t change stress, we can change the manner in which we respond
to it.

Polls indicate that 80% of American workers report experiencing stress in the
workplace at least some of the time. Stress in the workplace is manifested
through such physical effects as neck pain, aching muscles and insomnia.

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142. Describe each phase of Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome.

Phase one is the alarm phase where an outside stressor jolts the individual
insisting that something be done. This is the well- known “fight or flight”
response.

Resistance is the phase where the body begins to release cortisol and draws on
fats and sugars for energy to adjust to the demands of stress. While the body can
draw on its reserves to hold off stress for a while, it cannot continue in this state
forever.

Phase three is the exhaustion phase where the body’s stores of fats and sugars
are depleted and the prolonged release of cortisol has weakened the body
considerably. To cope, many individuals reach for something sweet to restore the
sugars.

143. Name two workplace stressors and give an example of each.

Workplace stressors include: role demands (role ambiguity, role overload, role
conflict), and information overload.

Role ambiguity is the vagueness one feels about what responsibilities he holds.
For example, when you begin a new job, you are often unclear what you are
supposed to do.

Role conflict is when you have contradictory demands made on you at work. For
example, your boss wants you to complete your project for next week while your
team supervisor wants his project completed first.

Role overload is when you have insufficient time and resources to complete your
job. For example, if you are doing your job and covering for an individual who is
out on medical leave, you may feel pulled in many directions.

Information overload is simply the processing demands made on individuals


where the time required to complete the tasks far exceeds the amount of time
actually available. The number of emails many individuals receive in one day
often far exceeds the amount of time available for responding.

144. Name two life stressors and give examples of each.

Life stressors include: work-family conflict, life changes, and downsizing.

Work-family conflict is experienced when the demands from work and family
negatively impact one another. An example is when you need to attend a work
function and you have sick child at home to care for.

Life changes are events that stress an individual. Life changes can be negative
(the death of a spouse) or positive (getting married). Though each produces
stress, the negative event produces distress and the positive events, eustress.

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The Holmes-Rahe Scale provides various life events with values that express the
stress experienced.

Downsizing is when firms decide to become smaller often through physical,


product and employee means. Currently, many firms are downsizing to stay
competitive in the worsening economy.

145. Describe two physiological outcomes of stress.

Stress can be manifested internally as nervousness, tension, anger or irritability.


It can also be manifested externally through skin conditions and sweating.

Because stress causes a suppression of the immune system, there are links
between stress and high blood pressure, ulcers and illness susceptibility.

146. Name two psychological outcomes of stress.

Anxiety and depression are two psychological outcomes of stress.

147. Research links stress to what work outcomes?

Stress is linked to higher turnover and lower levels of performance. Stressed


individuals also tend to be less prone to engaging in organizational citizenship
behaviors and to exhibit lower organization commitment.

148. Differentiate between a Type A personality and a Type B personality.

A Type A personality is a person who displays high levels of speed/impatience,


job involvement and hard-driving competitiveness.

Type B personalities are calmer than Type A personalities who are more prone to
thinking through situations than their Type A counterparts who tend to respond
emotionally.

149. What are two individual approaches to managing stress?

The individual approaches to managing stress include: The corporate athlete


concept, flow, diet, exercise, sleep, social support networks and time
management.

The corporate athlete is training so that the employee is healthy in mind and
body and embraces challenges versus avoiding them.

Flow is the concept of totally immersing yourself in the job.

Social support networks include coworkers, friends and family.

150. Describe the concept of a “corporate athlete.”

The corporate athlete is an approach to managing stress developed by Jack


Groppel at the University of Illinois. The concept relies on applying principles of

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athletic performance to workplace performance. The corporate athlete is thus an
individual who trains his mind and body to perform at peak levels (and under less
stress) due to better eating habits, more focused training and positive action. The
resulting strong mind and body embraces challenges, not avoids them.

151. Name two organizational approaches to managing stress.

Organizational approaches to managing stress include: making expectations (job


duties, for example) clear, employee autonomy, fair work environment,
telecommuting, sabbaticals and employee assistance program.

152. Describe positive emotions.

Positive emotions include joy, love and surprise. These emotions result from
events.

153. Name two negative emotions.

Negative emotions include: anger, fear and sadness.

154. Describe Affective Events Theory.

Affective Events Theory looks at how events on the job cause different kinds of
people to feel different kinds of emotions.

155. Differentiate between surface, deep and genuine acting.

Surface acting is exhibiting physical signs like smiles to reflect emotions you do
not really feel.

Deep acting is an individual pretending to experience emotions he does not feel.

Genuine acting is when individuals are asked to display emotions aligned with
their own.

156. What is cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance is a mismatch between emotions, attitudes, beliefs and


behaviors.

Many firms operating in multiple countries find their employees face cognitive
dissonance because of the different business practices within those countries.
For example, in China, to secure permission to talk about land purchases, a
major U.S. company’s executives has to make payments directly to village
leaders. Such scenarios created quite a bit of dissonance for those individuals.

157. Name the four building blocks of Emotional Intelligence, and define each.

The four building blocks are: self-awareness, self-management, social


awareness and relationship management.

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Self-awareness is being able to accurately perceive, evaluate and display your
emotions.

Self-management is being able to direct your emotions in a positive way when


needed.

Social awareness is when you are able to understand how others feel.

Relationship management is when you are able to help others manage their own
emotions and establish supportive relationships with others.

ESSAY

158. You are the new Human Resource manager at Lands Corporation. You have just
completed examining a great deal of company data. Turnover is much higher in
Lands Corporation than at its competitors or the industry average. The data that
you analyzed includes a series of transcripts of exit interviews conducted over
the past eight months. Repeatedly you note that past employees describe being
“burned out” and then leaving the firm. What are some areas you can examine to
develop organizational approaches to address and manage stress?

There are obviously a host of approaches you can take to help employees
handle stress in Lands Corporation. One starting point might be to look at the
jobs past “burned out” employees were performing. Are the jobs clearly defined?
If the employee does not always know what he is supposed to be doing, he is
more likely to feel stressed.

A second step is to examine those same job descriptions for the amount of
autonomy given to each employee. Stress results when employees feel a lack of
control.

Is the work environment fair, or is your work environment toxic? If the company
does not value its employees and continually creates unfair scenarios for its
employees, stress will result.

Can you find any jobs for which employees are able to telecommute? Working
from home at your own pace obviously reduces stress.

Though universities were the first organizations to widely use employee


sabbaticals, more and more companies have taken to using these programs to
reduce stress and rejuvenate employees.

Employee assistance programs are not just for those experiencing problems with
drugs and alcohol but for those experiencing stress that negatively impacts our
lives.

Once you have analyzed Lands Corporation for these issues, you can begin to
create action plans to address the burnout issue and ultimately the turnover.

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159. Your roommate has major stress issues every finals week. She becomes so
upset about her exams and papers that she is almost impossible to live with. You
do not want to see her go through these problems this finals week, so you have
decided to discuss with her various approaches she can adopt that may help
calm her during this time. What are some suggestions you could offer her?

You have just read Jack Groppel’s work on Corporate Athletes. You suggest she
concentrate on her mind and body throughout finals week as well as the weeks
leading up to her exams. Let her know that lower stress levels tend to result
when an individual is concerned about good nutrition, focused training and being
positive in his or her actions.

Help her find an activity in which she can immerse herself. Absorption in an
activity makes the individual feel in control, plus makes her more alert and
strong. Greasy foods make you tired. So, watch the fast foods that students are
prone to eating during finals week (and other times).

Talk to her about exercising. Physical activity enhances mental concentration so


even a walk would reduce her stress.

Encourage her to sleep. You can’t learn a semester’s worth of material in one
night, so absolutely do not pull an all-nighter. But even more important, don’t
work until the wee hours of the night either. Get rest, and lots of it.

Rely on her social network. Obviously she has you for support, but let her know
that there are others who share her concerns. Use those others for support.

Encourage her to practice some time management according to the following


guidelines: Write down what she needs to do. Encourage her to cross off those
items she has completed. Have her understand what activities eat up her time.
Does she sit down to read emails and notice it is an hour later before she
finishes? If so, then set up a specific time during the day when she does nothing
but read and respond to emails. But, only complete what she can in a time frame
that is established. For example, set aside 20 minutes and only 20 minutes for
those emails. When the time expires, she should go on to something else.

These steps should help her have a calmer finals week this time around.

160. Meredith just brought her elderly mother to live at her house because of her
mother’s current health problems. What are some options her firm might offer her
to help alleviate the work-family conflict she will inevitably experience?

The most obvious and, perhaps, easiest option a firm could offer, would be a
flexible schedule. Flextime usually requires the employee to work some core
hours and then permits that employee to work the remainder either before the
core time or after.

Telecommuting is a second option that the firm could consider. Again most firms
require a set number of days or hours per week when the employee is physically
working from the office. The remainder of days or hours are worked from home
or other remote location.

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Other options include work sharing, family leave among others.

161. What research findings support an organization’s attention to stress management


programming?

Some of the research findings include:


Work-family conflict leads to lower job and life satisfaction.
Stressors are cumulative and can occur in trends.
Stress can be negative (distress) or positive (eustress).
Downsizing and job insecurity lead to greater stress, alcohol use and lower
performance and creativity.
Stressed individuals have lower organizational commitment.
Stress can lead to internal manifestations like anger and irritability or external
manifestations like high blood pressure and ulcers.

162. Should we all have a “good cry” sometime to relieve stress?

Though Mom may have told you to “let it all out, have a good cry”, that may not
be the right answer. Research indicates that crying may not be as helpful as the
old adage suggests. There is no evidence to support the hypothesis that crying
improves your mood or health. In fact, one study suggested that venting only
increases negative effects of negative emotions.

Some research suggests that laughter may actually be the best choice. Crying
may intensify negative feelings and suggest to others that the issue really does
bother you. Criers tended to be more depressed, anxious and hostile than those
who did not cry.

163. Describe the Affective Events Theory and illustrate how it operates.

Affective Events Theory looks at how events cause different kinds of people to
feel different kinds of emotions.

As an example, imagine that a co-worker unexpectedly brings you some of your


favorite baked goods. You feel happy and surprised. The positive feelings you
are experiencing cause you to want to do something that you had not planned
before. So, you help someone else. The small moments of emotion can influence
your job satisfaction. The more the employee experiences positive emotions, the
more satisfied at work.

164. List the worst job you ever performed. Now describe how you used emotional
labor in that position.

Emotional labor is the regulation of feelings and expressions for organizational


purposes.

Imagine the worst job listed was customer service representative at a firm like
Target. Complaining customers would make life in that job rather difficult.

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Imagine one of those customers brought in a damaged good. He is complaining
bitterly. You simply smile and tell him that you have a full return policy up to thirty
days after the purchase. Though the customer is ranting and raving, you are
smiling and practicing surface acting.

Deep acting may be an alternative. In deep acting, you empathize with the
customer. Again, the customer is ranting and raving and you put yourself into his
shoes and actually note that you experienced the same difficulty when you
purchased the same item.

Genuine acting is when individuals are asked to display emotions that are
aligned with their own.

165. An organizational behavior researcher suggests that not only should mental
intelligence be assessed in each individual, but emotional intelligence should
also be determined. Do you agree?

Answers will vary but most individuals will probably disagree.

Either from a support or opposition viewpoint, the student can discuss the various
building blocks. Self-awareness, step one is something that all individuals should
complete. What are you well versed in, what are your shortcomings? How can
you improve on the negatives and cultivate the positives?

Self-management is the phase where you can direct your emotions in a particular
manner when needed. Again, it is not a problem knowing how to direct and
control your emotions and the relevant aspects of the audience supporting them.

Social awareness is when you are able to understand how others feel. Empathy
is a difficult concept, and may not be something many students will feel is a
necessity.

Relationship management is when you help others manage their emotions. Since
many individuals have difficulty managing their own, this may not be a very
well-supported aspect of the emotional intelligence question.

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