 Stress = The physiological and psychological states

of arousal
 Examples: Rapid heartbeat, sweating anxiety

 Strain = Outcomes of chronic stress that is not

alleviated
 Examples: depression, low back pain, tension headaches

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 Stress is a personal, non-work issue and
should not be a concern in a business

 A stressor is a stressor (i.e., all stressors are

the same)

 Some stress is good.

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 Transactional Theory of Stress
• Suggests the negative effects of stress are an interaction
between the person and the environment
• Different people find different things stressful and react
to them in different ways
• Appraisal Steps
 Primary appraisal = evaluate the potential stressor to
determine if it is a threat. If yes…
 Secondary appraisal = determine how to respond to the
stressor

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Potential Stressor: A trip to the dentist

Primary Secondary
Appraisal: Is Appraisal: How
this a threat? do I respond?

Stop:
Person A No No
Stress

Breathing/
Person B Yes Relaxation
Exercises

2-5
 Characteristics of Type A
• Achievement oriented
• In a hurry (e.g., talk fast, walk fast, eat fast)
• Perfectionism
• Hostility
 Associations with Type A Behavior
Pattern
• Coronary heart disease
 Recent research suggests the hostility component is
the aspect of Type A that most relates to heart
disease

2-6
 Locus of Control = The extent to which we
believe we control our own environments

 Internal Locus of Control

• Belief that you control your own environment
 In general, having an internal locus of control is helpful –
you believe you can make a difference so you take action!
 External Locus of Control
 Belief that sources outside you control your environment
 Example: fate, luck, other people

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 Self-efficacy = a personal assessment of how
well one can execute actions necessary to
handle a situation
 High self-efficacy is associate with…
• More motivation
I think I can…
• Better performance I think I can…
• Lower stress and burnout

2-8
 Traumatic events are relatively rare but
significant situations that cause stress
• Examples: divorce, death of a loved one, layoff
 Daily hassles are common and relatively
minor annoyances and obstacles that also cause
stress
• Examples: traffic jams, computer problems,
interruptions

2-9
 Role theory suggests that stress can
result from role ambiguity or role
conflict.

• Role ambiguity = not knowing what our

roles are or how to fulfill them

• Role conflict = when we have multiple

roles, and they conflict with each other
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 Work-family conflict = a form of
inter-role conflict in which
pressures from work and family are
incompatible
 WIF = Work Interferences with
Family
 FIW = Family Interferences with
Work
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 Conservation of Resources (COR) = model
suggesting that stress results from 3 possible
threats to our resources:
• 1: Threat of losing a personal resource
• 2: Actual net loss of a personal resource
• 3: Lack of resource gain following investment of other
personal resources

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 Burnout = a syndrome resulting from
prolonged stress and depletion of resources.
 3 components of burnout syndrome
• Emotional exhaustion:
 Feeling “drained” or “used up”
• Depersonalization:
 Feeling cynical, detached, or indifferent to one’s work
• Reduced personal accomplishment:
 Feeling one’s work doesn’t really matter

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 Emotional Labor = regulation of feelings and expressions
for the benefit of the organization’s goals

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 Primary Prevention Strategies
• Aimed at removing the SOURCE of stress
• Example:
 Stressor = traffic and long commute
 Primary Prevention = telecommuting (work at home)
 Secondary Coping Interventions
• Aimed at dealing with stressors that cannot be eliminated
• Example:
 Stressor = difficult boss
 Secondary Coping = meditate, social support from family

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 Increasing perceived control can reduce stress

Management needs employees to work overtime during the

Scenario holidays. How might they increase the perceived control amongst
the employees?
 Increasing predictability can reduce stress

Imagine that a small technology company is being acquired by a

larger company. How can management increase predictability for
Scenario employees in the acquired firm to minimize the stress of the
acquisition?
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 People with larger and more varied social networks
tend to have better well-being
 Types of Support
• Instrumental support = practical and direct type of support
(e.g., covering a shift for a colleague who is ill)
• Emotional support = sympathy, listening, and caring
• Informational support = giving information that helps
someone else solve a problem
• Appraisal support = giving esteem-building support

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 Choking = performance decrements under
pressure
 Antidotes for Choking
• Pressure Practice = practice the behavior in a pressure
situation
• Focused, Automated Behavior = devise a strategy and
then train until it becomes automatic so you don’t over-
think (and choke).

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 The ability to remain psychologically stable and
healthy in the face of significant stress
 4 Factors of Hardiness
• Physical Fitness
 Exercise reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
• Commitment
 Persevering through a hard time
• Control
 Striving to gain control and take action rather than being helpless
and hopeless
• Challenge
 Seeing problems as challenges rather than threats

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Table 2.1
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