Psychology and Work Today Schultz CHAP 12

Hardiness

a personality variable that may explain individual differences in vulnerability to stress. So-called hardy persons believe they can control the events in their lives and thus may be more resistant to stress. (p. 288)

Role ambiguity

a situation that arises when job responsibilities are unstructured or poorly defined. (p. 296)

Work underload

work that is too simple or insufficiently challenging for one's abilities. (p. 296)

Burnout

a condition of job stress that results from overwork. (p. 298)

Negative affectivity

a personality dimension characterized by a generalized life and job dissatisfaction and by a focus on negative aspects of life events. (p. 291)

Organization-based self-esteem (OBSE)

a personality dimension relating to our assessment of our adequacy and worth with regard to our place in the employing organization. (p. 290)

Role conflict

a situation that arises when there is a disparity between job demands and the employer's personal standards. (p. 296)

Relaxation training

a stress-reduction technique that concentrates on relaxing one part of the body after another. (p. 301)

Biofeedback

a stress-reduction technique that involves electronic monitoring of physiological processes, such that people can learn to control muscle tension, blood pressure, and brain waves. (p. 302)

Job engagement

a workaholic tendency characterized by work enthusiasm, a high commitment to and involvement in work such that an intense joy is derived from it. This is a "healthy" form of workaholism. (p. 300)

Locus of control

one's belief about the source of one's rewards. People with an internal locus of control believe that job performance, pay, and promotion are under their control and dependent on their own behavior. People with an external locus of control believe such events depend on outside forces such as luck. (p. 290)

Stress

physiological and psychological responses to excessive and usually unpleasant stimulation and to threatening events in the environment. (p. 284)

Workaholism

so-called addiction to work because of anxiety or because of a genuine liking for the job. (p. 299)

Occupational health psychology

the field of study dealing with the health effects of job stress and other aspects of employee well-being. (p. 285)

Work overload

too much work to perform in the time available or work that is too difficult for the employee to perform. (p. 295)