Chapter 10 - Stress and Worker Well‐BeingBeing
MODULE 10.1 The Problem of Stress
Studying Workplace Stress
-What are the 3 factors represented in the comprehensive framework for studying work stress
developed by Kahn and Byosiere?
-What is the difference between Cannon’s fight‐Beingor‐Beingflight reaction and Selye’s (1956) general
adaptation syndrome?
-What are the 2 coping styles resulting from cognitive appraisals of stressful situations?
(1) work stressors (task and role stressors),
(2) moderators of the stress process (individual differences, social support), and
(3) strains, or the consequences of stress (burnout, heart disease)
Cannon’s specific fight or flight response
proposed that animals and humans have an adaptive response to stressful situations in which they
choose to either fight or attempt to escape
called this response Fight‐or‐flight reactionor‐or‐flight reactionflight reactionAdaptive response to stressful situations exhibited
by animals and humans in which they choose to either fight or attempt to escape
Sleye’s non-specific response -disstress & eustress
Hans Selye (1976) defined stress as the non ‐Being specific response of the human body to any demand
made on it.
He was the first to distinguish between good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress).
Selye noted that eustress provides challenges that motivate individuals to work hard and
meet their goals.
Alternatively, distress results from stressful situations that persist over time and produces
negative health outcomes
Selye’s general adaptation syndrome
named the response sequences to almost any disease as the progression of the general
adaptation syndrome (GAS) and divided it into three stages.
1. in the alarm reaction stage, the body mobilizes resources to cope with added stress. In
this stage, the heart rate increases and stress hormones, such as adrenaline,
noradrenaline, epinephrine, and cortisol, are released.
2. , in the resistance stage, the body copes with the original source of stress, but resistance
to other stressors is lowered.
3. in the exhaustion stage, overall resistance drops and adverse consequences, including
burnout, severe illness, and even
Cannon’s fight‐Beingor‐Beingflight reaction comes in response to the type of stress that occurs suddenly and
is likely to last only a short time—episodic, or acute, stress—
whereas Selye’s (1956) general adaptation syndrome tracks the body’s response to stress
over a longer period of time (chronic)
it is chronic stress that is more common in work settings and more damaging to the body and
mind. For these reasons, chronic stress has been and continues to be of most interest to I ‐BeingO
psychologists
Cognitive appraisal
Research on stress indicates that it involves, in addition to a physiological response consistent with
Selye’s findings, a cognitive appraisal of the situation and of the resources available to handle the
, stressors. In their theory of stress, appraisal, and coping, Lazarus and Folkman viewed stress as an
ongoing process in which individuals make an appraisal of the environment and attempt to cope
with the stressors that arise. This appraisal often triggers a set of coping responses by the body. In
some circumstances, such as during exercise, the process can be healthy. However, when
exposure to stress is chronic or persistent, the body responds negatively. It is important to note
that most of these reactions are automatic
2 types of coping styles
coping styles are typically divided into problem ‐Beingfocused and emotion ‐Beingfocused coping:
Problem‐or‐flight reactionfocused coping is directed at managing or altering the problem that is causing
the stress. Such coping may include defining the problem, generating different solutions
and weighing their costs and benefits, and acting to solve the problem. For example,
problem‐Beingfocused coping might involve developing and utilizing time management skills
and designing a specific plan of action for handling a job with many demands.
Emotion‐or‐flight reactionfocused coping involves reducing the emotional response to the problem,
which can mean avoiding, minimizing, and distancing oneself from the problem. For
example, emotion‐Beingfocused coping might involve obtaining social support from one’s family
and friends to help minimize the effects of a stressful job
What Is a Stressor?
Stressors are physical or psychological demands to which an individual responds
physical stressors include excessive heat, noise, and light
psychological stressors are role ambiguity, interpersonal conflict, lack of control, and
even the incessantly ringing phone or the “ding” from your computer or smartphone
, telling you that you’ve got yet another incoming e ‐Beingmail. Reactions or responses to these
stressors are commonly called strains.
strains can result from chronic or persistent stress are burnout, anxiety, and physiological
consequences such as high blood pressure and heart disease
Common Stressors at Work
Work stressors fall into two major categories:
physical/task stressors, such as noise, light, heat, and cold,
and psychological stressors, which involve a multitude of subtle and not‐Beingso ‐Beingsubtle factors
that an individual may find demanding
Physical/Task Stressors
uncontrollable noise
is particularly stressful and leads to lower task performance and diminished motivation
exposure to low‐Beinglevel noise in an open office setting is associated with elevated levels of
stress hormones and lower task performance. The importance of the increased hormone
levels is that stressors may exist even when the worker is not aware of the stressor
The demands of a given job
(e.g., pace of work, workload, the number of hours worked) can also contribute to the experience
of stress and to subsequent strains
employees who had a heavier workload were more likely to subsequently report upper body and
lower back disorders than those with lower workloads. Although it may be clear that physical and
task stressors have negative effects on employee health, more recent research in work stress has
focused on psychological stressors that may not be as intuitively linked to health outcomes. As we
will see in the following section, such psychological stressors play an equally important role in
employee health and well‐Beingbeing. Keep in mind, however, that one type of stressor (e.g., physical
or task) is not made less important by the presence of another stressor; thus, the effects of
multiple stressors can be cumulative.
Psychological Stressors
-What are 3 types of psychological stressors?
1. Lack of control
o Flexible time schedules
2. Interpersonal conflict
3. Role stressors
o Role ambiguity, Role conflict, Role overload
4. Work-family conflict
5. Emotional labor
o Surface acting, Deep acting
6. Challenge related/ Hindrance related stressors
o Optimum level of stressor
o Lack of Control/Predictability
the individual’s perception of control or predictability determines his or her response to the
MODULE 10.1 The Problem of Stress
Studying Workplace Stress
-What are the 3 factors represented in the comprehensive framework for studying work stress
developed by Kahn and Byosiere?
-What is the difference between Cannon’s fight‐Beingor‐Beingflight reaction and Selye’s (1956) general
adaptation syndrome?
-What are the 2 coping styles resulting from cognitive appraisals of stressful situations?
(1) work stressors (task and role stressors),
(2) moderators of the stress process (individual differences, social support), and
(3) strains, or the consequences of stress (burnout, heart disease)
Cannon’s specific fight or flight response
proposed that animals and humans have an adaptive response to stressful situations in which they
choose to either fight or attempt to escape
called this response Fight‐or‐flight reactionor‐or‐flight reactionflight reactionAdaptive response to stressful situations exhibited
by animals and humans in which they choose to either fight or attempt to escape
Sleye’s non-specific response -disstress & eustress
Hans Selye (1976) defined stress as the non ‐Being specific response of the human body to any demand
made on it.
He was the first to distinguish between good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress).
Selye noted that eustress provides challenges that motivate individuals to work hard and
meet their goals.
Alternatively, distress results from stressful situations that persist over time and produces
negative health outcomes
Selye’s general adaptation syndrome
named the response sequences to almost any disease as the progression of the general
adaptation syndrome (GAS) and divided it into three stages.
1. in the alarm reaction stage, the body mobilizes resources to cope with added stress. In
this stage, the heart rate increases and stress hormones, such as adrenaline,
noradrenaline, epinephrine, and cortisol, are released.
2. , in the resistance stage, the body copes with the original source of stress, but resistance
to other stressors is lowered.
3. in the exhaustion stage, overall resistance drops and adverse consequences, including
burnout, severe illness, and even
Cannon’s fight‐Beingor‐Beingflight reaction comes in response to the type of stress that occurs suddenly and
is likely to last only a short time—episodic, or acute, stress—
whereas Selye’s (1956) general adaptation syndrome tracks the body’s response to stress
over a longer period of time (chronic)
it is chronic stress that is more common in work settings and more damaging to the body and
mind. For these reasons, chronic stress has been and continues to be of most interest to I ‐BeingO
psychologists
Cognitive appraisal
Research on stress indicates that it involves, in addition to a physiological response consistent with
Selye’s findings, a cognitive appraisal of the situation and of the resources available to handle the
, stressors. In their theory of stress, appraisal, and coping, Lazarus and Folkman viewed stress as an
ongoing process in which individuals make an appraisal of the environment and attempt to cope
with the stressors that arise. This appraisal often triggers a set of coping responses by the body. In
some circumstances, such as during exercise, the process can be healthy. However, when
exposure to stress is chronic or persistent, the body responds negatively. It is important to note
that most of these reactions are automatic
2 types of coping styles
coping styles are typically divided into problem ‐Beingfocused and emotion ‐Beingfocused coping:
Problem‐or‐flight reactionfocused coping is directed at managing or altering the problem that is causing
the stress. Such coping may include defining the problem, generating different solutions
and weighing their costs and benefits, and acting to solve the problem. For example,
problem‐Beingfocused coping might involve developing and utilizing time management skills
and designing a specific plan of action for handling a job with many demands.
Emotion‐or‐flight reactionfocused coping involves reducing the emotional response to the problem,
which can mean avoiding, minimizing, and distancing oneself from the problem. For
example, emotion‐Beingfocused coping might involve obtaining social support from one’s family
and friends to help minimize the effects of a stressful job
What Is a Stressor?
Stressors are physical or psychological demands to which an individual responds
physical stressors include excessive heat, noise, and light
psychological stressors are role ambiguity, interpersonal conflict, lack of control, and
even the incessantly ringing phone or the “ding” from your computer or smartphone
, telling you that you’ve got yet another incoming e ‐Beingmail. Reactions or responses to these
stressors are commonly called strains.
strains can result from chronic or persistent stress are burnout, anxiety, and physiological
consequences such as high blood pressure and heart disease
Common Stressors at Work
Work stressors fall into two major categories:
physical/task stressors, such as noise, light, heat, and cold,
and psychological stressors, which involve a multitude of subtle and not‐Beingso ‐Beingsubtle factors
that an individual may find demanding
Physical/Task Stressors
uncontrollable noise
is particularly stressful and leads to lower task performance and diminished motivation
exposure to low‐Beinglevel noise in an open office setting is associated with elevated levels of
stress hormones and lower task performance. The importance of the increased hormone
levels is that stressors may exist even when the worker is not aware of the stressor
The demands of a given job
(e.g., pace of work, workload, the number of hours worked) can also contribute to the experience
of stress and to subsequent strains
employees who had a heavier workload were more likely to subsequently report upper body and
lower back disorders than those with lower workloads. Although it may be clear that physical and
task stressors have negative effects on employee health, more recent research in work stress has
focused on psychological stressors that may not be as intuitively linked to health outcomes. As we
will see in the following section, such psychological stressors play an equally important role in
employee health and well‐Beingbeing. Keep in mind, however, that one type of stressor (e.g., physical
or task) is not made less important by the presence of another stressor; thus, the effects of
multiple stressors can be cumulative.
Psychological Stressors
-What are 3 types of psychological stressors?
1. Lack of control
o Flexible time schedules
2. Interpersonal conflict
3. Role stressors
o Role ambiguity, Role conflict, Role overload
4. Work-family conflict
5. Emotional labor
o Surface acting, Deep acting
6. Challenge related/ Hindrance related stressors
o Optimum level of stressor
o Lack of Control/Predictability
the individual’s perception of control or predictability determines his or her response to the
