STRESS

What is Stress?

 Stress is a normal reaction the body has when changes occur. It can
respond to these changes physically, mentally, or emotionally.
 Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or
response.
 The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional
responses.
 Stress is a normal part of life. You can experience stress from your
environment, your body, and your thoughts.
 Even positive life changes such as a promotion, a mortgage, or the birth of
a child produce stress.

What are the warning signs of stress?

Chronic stress can wear down the body's natural defenses, leading to
a variety of physical symptoms, including the following:

 Dizziness or a general feeling of  Problems sleeping.

"being out of it."
 General aches and pains.
 Grinding teeth, clenched jaw.
 Headaches.
 Indigestion or acid reflux symptoms.
 Increase in or loss of appetite.
 Muscle tension in neck, face or
shoulders.
 Racing heart.
 Cold and sweaty palms.
 Tiredness, exhaustion.
 Trembling/shaking.
 Weight gain or loss.
 Upset stomach, diarrhea.
 Sexual difficulties

Source:https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-
stress#:~:targetText=Stress%20is%20the%20body's%20reaction,your%20body
%2C%20and%20your%20thoughts.
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How is stress different from stressors or strains?

 Stressors are the demands that cause stress and strains are the negative
consequences that occur when stressed

Source: https://quizlet.com/26444740/mgmt-319-chapter-5-flash-cards/

What are the Four Main Types of Stressors?

 Work Hindrance Stress

o Role Conflict-refers to conflicting expectations that other people

may have of us.
 Example: As an example of role conflict that occurs from
incompatible demands within a single role that a person may
hold, consider the job of a call center operator.
 People holding these jobs are expected to communicate with
as many people as possible over a given period of time. The
expectation is that, the call center operator will spend as little
time as possible with the people on the other end of the line.
 At the same time, however, operators are also expected to be
responsive to the questions and concerns raised by the
people they talk with.
 Because effectiveness in this aspect of the job may require a
great deal of time, call center operators are put in a position
in which they simply cannot meet both type of expectations.

o Role Ambiguity- refers to a lack of information about what needs to

be done in a role, as well as unpredictability regarding the
consequences of performance in that role.
 Employees are sometimes asked to work on projects for
which they’re given a very few instructions or guidelines about
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how things are supposed to be done. In these cases,

employees may not know how much money they can spend
on the project, how long it’s supposed to take.
 Role ambiguity is often experienced among new employees
who haven’t been around long enough to receive instructions
from supervisors or observe and model the role behaviors of
more senior colleagues.
 Students sometimes experience role ambiguity

o Role Overload- occurs when the number of demanding roles a

person holds is so high that the person simply cannot perform some
or all of the roles effectively.
 Role overload as a source of stress is becoming very
prevalent for employees in many different industries, and in
fact, studies have shown that this source of stress is more
prevalent than both role conflict and role ambiguity.

o Daily Hassle- refers to the relatively minor day-to-day demands that

get in the way of accomplishing the things that we really want to
accomplish.
 Example: Includes having to deal with unnecessary
paperwork, office equipment malfunctions, annoying
interactions with abrasive coworkers, and useless
communications.
 Work Challenge Stressors

o Time Pressure- a strong sense that the amount of time you have
to do a task is not quite enough
 Although most people appraise situations with high time
pressure as rather stressful, they also tend to appraise these
situations as more challenging than hindering.
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 Time pressure demands tend to be viewed as something

worth striving for because success in meeting such demands
can be intrinsically satisfying.

o Work Complexity- refers to the degree to which the requirements of

the work-in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities-tax or exceed the
capabilities of the person who is responsible for performing the work.

 Example- consider the nature of employee development

practices that organizations use to train future executives and
organizational leaders. In many cases, these practices involve
giving people jobs that requires skills and knowledge that the
people do not yet possess.

o Work Responsibility- refers to the nature of the obligation that a

person has toward others.
 The level of responsibility in a job is higher when the number,
scope, and importance of the obligations in that job are higher.
 Example- the level of work responsibility for an air traffic
controller, who may be accountable for the lives of tens of
thousands of people every day, is very high.
 Controllers understand that if they make an error while
directing an aircraft-for example, saying “turn left”
instead of “turn right”- hundreds of people can die in an
instant.

 Non-Work Hindrance Stressors

--financial uncertainty, neg. life events, family conflict
o Work Family conflict- a special form of role (or vice versa).
 More generally, work-family conflict can be thought of as
something that upset the balance of our work and non-work
lives.
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 Example- a store manager who has to deal with lots of

hindrances at work may have trouble switching off the
frustration after arriving home, and as a consequence,
become irritable and impatient with family and friends.

o Negative Life Events-

 Non-work Challenge Stressors
-family time demands, personal development, positive life events

Source: https://quizlet.com/26444740/mgmt-319-chapter-5-flash-cards/

How Do Individuals Cope with Stress?

 Behavioral coping-physical activities used to deal with a stressful

situation
 Cognitive Coping- thoughts that are involved in trying to deal with a
stressful situation
 Problem-focused coping-behaviors that manage the stressful situation
Emotion coping- the way people manage their emotional reaction
Source: https://quizlet.com/26444740/mgmt-319-chapter-5-flash-cards/

Coping With Stress

 Feeling emotional and nervous or having trouble sleeping and eating can
all be normal reactions to stress.

Here are some healthy ways you can deal with stress:

 Take care of yourself.

o Eat healthy, well-balanced meals
o Exercise on a regular basis
o Get plenty of sleep
o Give yourself a break if you feel stressed out
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 Talk to others. Share your problems and how you are feeling and coping
with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or pastor.
 Avoid drugs and alcohol. These may seem to help, but they can create
additional problems and increase the stress you are already feeling.
 Take a break. If news events are causing your stress, take a break from
listening or watching the news.
 Recognize when you need more help. If problems continue or you are
thinking about suicide, talk to a psychologist, social worker, or professional
counselor.
Source:https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/copingwith-
stresstips.html

How does the Type A Behavior Pattern Influence the Stress Process?

 Type A behavior affects the stress process because they are more sensitive
to demands and increase stress levels to work towards goal attainment

Source: https://quizlet.com/26444740/mgmt-319-chapter-5-flash-cards/

How does stress affect job performance and commitment? What does the
relationship look like?

 Hindrance stress has a negative relationship with job performance and

commitment. Higher level of stress leads to lower job performance and
commitment.

Source: https://quizlet.com/26444740/mgmt-319-chapter-5-flash-cards/

What steps can organizations take to manage employee stress?

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 Reduce strains through relaxation techniques, cognitive-behavioral

techniques, health and wellness programs, and employee assistance
programs

Source: https://quizlet.com/26444740/mgmt-319-chapter-5-flash-cards/

Tips for reducing stress

 People can learn to manage stress and lead happier, healthier lives. You
may want to begin with the following tips:

 Keep a positive attitude.

 Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
 Be assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your feelings, opinions, or beliefs
instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.
 Learn and practice relaxation techniques; try meditation, yoga, or tai-chi.
 Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.
 Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
 Learn to manage your time more effectively.
 Set limits appropriately and say no to requests that would create excessive stress
in your life.
 Make time for hobbies and interests.
 Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
 Don't rely on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce stress.
 Seek out social support. Spend enough time with those you love.
 Seek treatment with a psychologist or other mental health professional trained
in stress management or biofeedback techniques to learn more healthy ways of
dealing with the stress in your life.