Influeces on the Stress Experience:

4 Primary factors

1. Person's perception of the situation
2. The person's past experiences
3. The presence or absence of social support
4. Individual Differences in reacting to stress

• the process by which people select, organize, interpret, and respond to information from the world around them
• can influence how (or whether) they experience stress

• the relationship between experiences and stress is based on reinforecement
• positive reinforcement or previous success in a similar situation can reduce the level of stress a person experiences under certain circumstances
• In contrast, punishment or past failure under similar conditions can increase stress under the same circumstances

• the presence or absence of other people influences how individuals in the workplace experience stress and respond to stressors

• each person's motivation, attitudes, personality, and abilities influence the degree and nature of work stress experienced and how the individual responds
• Personality characteristics may exmplain some of the differences in the ways in which an empl. experiences and responds to stress
• Emotional stability plays a large role.  Individuals who are emotionally stable (described as stable, relaxed, resilient, and confident) are more likely to cope well with a wide variety of work stressors
• In contrast, individuals who are lacking in emotional stability (described as reactive, nervous, and self-doubting) typically have greater difficulty coping with the same stressors

1. Workload
2. Job conditions
3. Role Conflict and Ambiguity
4. Career Development
5. Interpersonal Relations
6. Workplace Aggression
7. Conflict between work and life roles

Potential impacts occur in 3 main areas:

1. Physiological effects: may include increase blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, etc...
2. Emotional effects: may include anger, anxiety, depression, low self esteem, nervousness, irritability, resentment of supervision, and job dissatisfaction
3. Behavioral effects: may include poor performance, absenteeism, high accident rates, high turnover rates, substance abuse, impulsive behavior, etc...

WORKING CONDITIONS (Constant pressure, Insecurity, competition, Conflict, Economic Problems, Loneliness)

produce:

Unfulfilled expectations, Lack of Meaning, Lack of Control, Overwork, poor Decisions

leading to:                                              Stress, Exchaustion, Frustration, Helplessness, Depersonalization                                  culminating in:                                             Job Burnout

• refers to a person involved in a never-ending struggle to achieve more and more in les and less time
• Characteristics include: crhonic sense of urgency, extremely competitive, multitasking, impatience with barriers to task accomplishment, a sense of guilt when relaing or taking a vacation

• the personality of a person with a cluster of characteristics that include feeling a sense of commitment, responding to each difficulty as representing a challenge and an opportunity, and perceiving that one has control over one's own life
• Characteristics include: sense of personal control over events in one's life, tendency to attribute on'es own behavior to internal causes, strong commitment to work and personal relationships, not detaching when the going gets tough, ability to view unexpected change or potential threats as challenges and opportunitites for growth

• a high degree of _____ reduces the negative effects of stressful events
• seems to reduce sress by altering the way in which people perceive stressors

• plan ahead and practice good time management
• get plenty of exercies, eat a balanced diet, get adequate rest
• view the difficulties you encounter as opportunities to learn and challenges to be tacked, rather than problems to be solved or difficulties to overcome
• recognize and minimize the tendency to be a perfectionist
• concentrate on balancing your work and personal life

• identify and reduce or eliminate intense work stressors
• assist employees in changing their perceptions of the stressors and experienced stress
• assist employees to cope more effectively with the outcomes from severe stress

the assumption that people tend to be motivated by the desire to harm others

this bias is used at times to explain why others behave as they do

the assumption that interactions with others are contests to establish dominance versus submissiveness

this bias retionalizes the use of aggression to dominate others as demonstrating strength, bravery, control, and fearlessness

the failture to act aggressively is seen as weakness, fear, and cowardice.  thus, aggressive idividuals see their behaviors as a means of gaining respect from others

individuals think that taking revenge (retributions) is more important than preserving relationships

there is a tendency to see retaliation as more rational behavior than reconciliation

individuals see those they wish to make (or have made) target of aggressions as evil, immoral, or untrustworthy

this type of influence enables them to see the targets of aggression as deserving of it

individuals believe that social customs reflect free will and the opportunity to satisfy their own needs

they have a disdain for traditional ideas and conventional beliefs and are often cynical and critical of social customs

they show a lack of sensitivity, emphathy, and concern for social customs

• type of bullying in the workplace
• the ganging up by coworkers, subordinates, or superiors to force somone out of the workplace through rumor, intimidation, humiliation, discrediting, and/or isolation

A contiuum that ranges from harassment to aggression to rage to mayhem

• Harassment: may or may not cause harm or discomfort to the empl, but is considered unacceptable in the workplace
• Aggression: cause harm to or discomfort for another employee
• Rage: seen through intense behaviors that often cause fear in other employees and which may result in physical or emoational harm to people or damage to property
• Mayhem: final stage that represents physical violence against employees or customers or the violent destruction of property