Chapter 7 Sec 2-3 Stress

outcomes of stress

physiological, psychological, work outcomes

psychological

Depression and anxiety are two psychological outcomes of unchecked stress, which are as dangerous to our mental health and welfare as heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes. The Harris poll found that 11% of respondents said their stress was accompanied by a sense of depression.

work outcomes

Stress is related to worse job attitudes, higher turnover, and decreases in job performance in terms of both in-role performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. [29] Research also shows that stressed individuals have lower organizational commitment than those who are less stressed

physiological outcomes

Stress manifests itself internally as nervousness, tension, headaches, anger, irritability, and fatigue. Stress can also have outward manifestations. stress is related to aging. [25] Chronic stress causes the body to secrete hormones such as cortisol, which tend to make our complexion blemished and cause wrinkles.

alarm phase

an outside stressor jolts the individual, insisting that something must be done ie fight or flight, if the response is sufficient, the body will return to resting state after dealing with the source of stress

stress

body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response

work-family conflict

demands from work and family are negatively affecting one another

type B personality

calmer by nature. They think through situations as opposed to reacting emotionally. Their fight-or-flight and stress levels are lower as a result. Our personalities are the outcome of our life experiences and, to some degree, our genetics.

flow

concept of total engagement in one's work or activites

sabbaticals

paid time off from the normal routine at work

type A personality

display high levels of speed/impatience, job involvement, and hard-driving competitiveness. If you think back to Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome, in which unchecked stress can lead to illness over time, it's easy to see how the fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping lifestyle of a Type A person can lead to increased stress, and research supports this view. Studies show that the hostility and hyper-reactive portion of the Type A personality is a major concern in terms of stress and negative organizational outcomes.

stressors

events or contexts that cause a stress reaction by elevating levels of adrenaline and forcing a physical or mental response.

role conflict

facing contradictory demands at work

role overload

having insufficient time and resources to complete a job

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

hypothesis that stress plays a general role in disease by exhausting the body's immune system

information overload

information processing demands that exceed the supply or capacity available for such processing

role demands

major category of workplace stressors

Organizational approaches to managing stress

make expectations clear- workers who have clear descriptions of their jobs experience less stress than those whose jobs are ill defined give employees autonomy- one of the most stressful things that individuals deal with is a lack of control over their environment create fair work environments- workplace environments that are unfair and unpredictable have been labeled "toxic" workplaces, a toxic workplace is one in which a company does not value its employees or treat them fairly

employee assistance program (EAP)

often offered to workers as an adjunct to a company provided health care plan, offers help in dealing with crises in the workplace and beyond (often used to help workers who have substance abuse problems

The corporate athlete

proactive approach to stress rather than reactive. ward off the potentially overwhelming feelings of stress by developing strong bodies and minds that embrace challenges as opposed to being overwhelmed

amygdala

responsible for stimulating fear responses, fight or flight

eustress

stress that is enjoyable or healing

distress

stress that leads to disease

resistance phase

the body bgins to release cortisol and draws on reserves of fats and sugars to find a way to adjust to the demands of stress, works well for short periods of time, only a temporary fix- the body is drawing on its reserves

exhaustion phase

the body has depleted its stores of sugars and fats and the prolonged release of cortisol has caused the stressor to significantly weaken the individual, disease results from the weakened state, this is why we reach for fatty, sugary foods and caffeine for energy when stressed

time management

the development of tools or techniques that help to make us more productive when we work. major factor in reducing stress because it decreases how much pressure we feel

role ambiguity

vagueness in relation to what our responsibilities are, high role ambiguity is related to higher emotional exhaustion, thoughts of leaving a job and lowered job attitudes and performance, strongest role demand predictor of poor performance especially with new employees

telecommuting

working remotely; researchers have found that the higher autonomy of working from home resulted in lower work-family conflict, higher job satisfaction, better performance and lower stress