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JOB STRESS:Distress and Eustress, Burnout, General Adaptation Syndrome

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Organizational Psychology­ (PSY510)
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LESSON 31
JOB STRESS
Many people today work long hours, face constant deadlines, and are subject to pressure to produce more
and more. Organizations and the people who run them are under constant pressure to increase income
while keeping costs in check. To do things faster and better-but with fewer people-is the goal of many
companies today. An unfortunate effect of this trend to put too much pressure on people--operational
employees, other managers, and oneself is stress. The results can indeed be increased performance, higher
profits, and faster growth. But stress, burnout, turnover, aggression, and other unpleasant side effects can
also occur.
Many people think of stress as a simple problem. In reality, however, stress is complex and often
misunderstood. In order to understand job stress, we must first define it and then describe the process
through with it develops.
Stress has been defined in many ways, but most definitions say that stress is caused by a stimulus, that the
stimulus can be either physical or psychological, and that the individual responds to the stimulus in some
way. Here, then, we define stress as a person's adaptive response to a stimulus that places excessive
psychological or physical demands on him or her.
Given the underlying complexities of this definition, we need to examine its components carefully. First is
the notion of adaptation. As we discuss presently, people may adapt to stressful circumstances in any of
several ways. Second is the role of the stimulus. This stimulus, generally called a stressor, is anything that
induces stress. Third, stressors can be either psychological or physical. Finally,, the demands the stressor
places on the individual must be excessive for stress to result. Of course what is excessive for one person
may be perfectly tolerable for another. The point is simply that a person must perceive that demands as
excessive or stress will not result.
This also leads us to a simpler definition of stress, i.e. "excessive physical and psychological demands on a
person."
According to an estimate, job stress costs American economy 200/300 billion dollars every year. People in
American organizations face situations of overburdening and stress and have to be counselled. Often
people leave the organizations due to excessive work load. Therefore, job stress is a cause of massive
financial loss to these organizations and the economy as a whole. Not to mention the worldwide economy.
Other countries also face the problems related to job stress in organizations.
Distress and Eustress
Hans Selye is recognized as the father of stress who discovered that tissue damage results from stress. Selye
also pointed out that the sources of stress need not be bad. For example, receiving a bonus ant then having
to decide what to do with the money can be stressful. So can getting a promotion, gaining recognition,
getting married and similar "good" things. Selye called this type of stress eustress. Eustress can lead to a
number of positive outcomes for the individual.
Of course, there is also negative stress. Called distress, this is what most people think of when they hear the
word stress. Excessive pressure, unreasonable demands on our time, and band news all fall into this
category. As the term suggests, this form of stress generally results in negative consequences for the
individual.
Burnout
A consequence of stress, burnout, has clear implications for both people and organizations. Burnout is
general feeling of exhaustion that develops when a person simultaneously experiences too much pressure
and has too few sources of satisfaction.
In other words it is the stage of losing sense of direction and control. Burnout generally develops in the
following way:
First people with high aspirations and strong motivation to get things done are prime candidates for
burnout under certain conditions. They are especially vulnerable when the organization suppresses or limits
their initiative while constantly demanding that they serve the organization's own needs.
In such a situation, the individual is likely to put too much of himself or herself into the job. In other words,
the person may well keep trying to meet his or her own agenda while simultaneously trying to fulfil the
organization's expectations. The most likely effects of this situation are prolonged stress, fatigue, frustration
and helplessness under the burden of overwhelming demands. The person literally exhausts hir or her
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aspirations and motivation, much as a candle burns itself out. Loss of self-confidence and psychological
withdrawal follow. Ultimately, burnout results. At this point, the individual may start dreading going to
work in the morning, may put in longer hours but accomplish less than before, and may generally display
mental and physical exhaustion.
General Adaptation Syndrome
Much of what we know about stress today can be traced back to the pioneering work of Dr. Hans Selye.
Among Selye's most important contributions were his indent faction of the general adaptation syndrome
and the concepts of eustress and distress.
According to this model, each of us has a normal level of resistance to stressful events. Some of us can
tolerate a great deal of stress and other much less, but we al have a threshold at which stress starts to affect
us.
The GAS begins when a person first encounters a stressor. The first stage is called "alarm." At this point,
the person may feel some degree of panic and begin to wonder how to cope. The individual may also have
to resolve a "fight-or-flight" question: Can I deal with this, or should I run away? For example, suppose a
manger is assigned to wire a lengthy report overnight. His or her first reaction be "How will I ever get this
done by tomorrow?"
If the stressor is too extreme, the person may simply be unable to cope with it. In most cases, however, the
individual gather his or her strength (physical or emotional) and begins to resist the negative effects of the
stressor. The manager with the long report to write may calm down, call home to tell that he or she would
be working late, roll up the sleeves, order out for dinner, and get to work. Thus at stage two of the GAS,
the person is resisting the effects of the stressor.
Often, the resistance phase ends the GAS. If the manger completes the report earlier than expected, he may
drop it in his briefcase, smile to himself, and feel tired but happy. On the other hand, prolonged exposure
to a stressor without resolution may bring on phase three of the GAS: exhaustion. At this stage, the person
literally gives up and can no longer fight the stressor. For example, the manager may fall asleep at his desk at
3 A.M. and fail to finish the report.
Individual Consequences of Stress
·  Physiological
The physiological consequences of stress affect a person's physical well-being. Heart disease and stroke,
among other illness, have been linked to stress. Other common medical problems resulting from too
much stress include headaches, backaches, ulcers and related stomach and intestinal disorders, and skin
conditions such as acne and hives.
·  Psychological
The psychological consequences of stress related to a person's mental health and well-being. When
people experience too much stress at work, they may become depressed or find themselves sleeping too
much or not enough. Stress may also lead to family problems and aggression.
·  Behavioural
The behavioural consequences of stress may harm the person under stress or others. One such
behaviour is smoking. Research has clearly documented that that people who smoke tend to smoke
more when they experience stress. There is also evidence that alcohol and drug abuse are linked to
stress, though this relationship is less well documented. Other possible behavioural consequences are
accident proneness, violence and appetite disorders.
Causes of Stress
Many things can cause stress. These can be categorized as the following three:
Extra-organizational Stressors
These are stressors which are outside the person's job or organization that he or she works in. Some of the
common extra organizational stressors are:
·  Life/Social/Technical Change
A life change is any meaningful change in a person's personal or work situation; too many life changes
can lead to health problem. Further, stress may also be caused due to the lack of ability to adapt to
technical change.
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·
Economical/Financial Condition of the Country
Economic or financial condition of the country or the individual may also serve as a cause of stress for
people.
·  Class Conditions
The feeling of belonging to a class or development of complexes such as inferiority complex may also
be a cause of stress for individuals.
Organizational Stressors
Organizational stressors are various factors in the workplace that can cause stress. Some of them are as
follows:
·  Organizational Policies
Organizational policies may be a potential source of stress for individuals. People may feel as treated
unfairly in the organization and perceive the policies not to be adequate to help them.
·  Physical Conditions
Physical conditions and working environment in the organizations may also be a potential source of
stress in or the individuals.
·  Process
Organizational processes, like organizational policies may also be a cause of stress. For example, poor
communication, inadequate information, etc. may cause stress in the employees.
Group Stressors
Group stressors are factors that cause stress among group members. Following are some of the group
stressors:
·  Lack of Cohesiveness
Lack of cohesiveness among group members is a common cause of group stress since people develop
grudges for each other.
·  Lack of Social Support
Support from peers and people around out is an important desire. If not provided, it becomes a source
of group stress.
·  Conflicts Within and Inter-group
Conflicts among group members among groups are also a common source of stress.
REFERENCES
·  Luthans, Fred. (2005). Organizational Behaviour (Tenth Edition). United States: McGraw Hill Irwin.
·  Mejia, Gomez. Balkin, David & Cardy, Robert. (2006). Managing Human Resources (Fourth Edition).
India: Dorling Kidersley Pvt. Ltd., licensee of Pearson Education in South Asia.
·  Robbins, P., Stephen. (1996). Organizational Behaviour (Seventh Edition). India: Prentice Hall, Delhi.
·  Huczynski, Andrzej & Buchanan, David. (1991). Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text
(Second Edition). Prentice Hall. New York.
·  Moorhead, Gregory & Griffin, Ricky. (2001). Organizational Behaviour (First Edition). A.I.T.B.S.
Publishers & Distributors. Delhi.
FURTHER READING
·  Stress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_%28medicine%29
·  Eustress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustress
·  Hans Selye: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Selye
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHLOGY:Hawthorne Effect
  2. METHODOLOGIES OF DATA COLLECTION:Observational method, Stability of Measures
  3. GLOBALIZATION:Aspects of Globalization, Industrial Globalization
  4. DEFINING THE CULTURE:Key Components of Culture, Individualism
  5. WHAT IS DIVERSITY?:Recruitment and Retention, Organizational approaches
  6. ETHICS:Sexual Harassment, Pay and Promotion Discrimination, Employee Privacy
  7. NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONS:Flat Organization, Neoclassical Organization Theory
  8. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:Academy Culture, Baseball Team Culture, Fortress Culture
  9. CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:Move decisively, defuse resistance
  10. REWARD SYSTEMS: PAY, Methods of Pay, Individual incentive plan, New Pay Techniques
  11. REWARD SYSTEMS: RECOGNITION AND BENEFITS, Efficiency Wage Theory
  12. PERCEPTION:How They Work Together, Gestalt Laws of Grouping, Closure
  13. PERCEPTUAL DEFENCE:Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Stereotyping
  14. ATTRIBUTION:Locus of Control, Fundamental Attribution Error
  15. IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT:Impression Construction, Self-focused IM
  16. PERSONALITY:Classifying Personality Theories, Humanistic/Existential
  17. PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT:Standardized, Basic Categories of Measures
  18. ATTITUDE:Emotional, Informational, Behavioural,Positive and Negative Affectivity
  19. JOB SATISFACTION:The work, Pay, Measurement of Job Satisfaction
  20. MOTIVATION:Extrinsic motive, Theories of work motivation, Safety needs
  21. THEORIES OF MOTIVATION:Instrumentality, Stacy Adams’S Equity theory
  22. MOTIVATION ACROSS CULTURES:Meaning of Work, Role of Religion
  23. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY:Criticisms of ‘Traditional’ Psychology, Optimism
  24. HOPE:Personality, Our goals, Satisfaction with important domains, Negative affect
  25. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE:EI IS Related To Emotions and Intelligence
  26. SELF EFFICACY:Motivation, Perseverance, Thoughts, Sources of Self-Efficacy
  27. COMMUNICATION:Historical Background, Informal-Formal, Interpersonal Communication
  28. COMMUNICATION (Part II):Downward Communication, Stereotyping Problems
  29. DECISION MAKING:History, Personal Rationality, Social Model, Conceptual
  30. PARTICIPATIVE DECISION MAKING TECHNIQUES:Expertise, Thinking skills
  31. JOB STRESS:Distress and Eustress, Burnout, General Adaptation Syndrome
  32. INDIVIDUAL STRESSORS:Role Ambiguity/ Role Conflict, Personal Control
  33. EFFECTS OF STRESS:Physical Effects, Behavioural Effects, Individual Strategies
  34. POWER AND POLITICS:Coercive Power, Legitimate Power, Referent Power
  35. POLITICS:Sources of Politics in Organizations, Final Word about Power
  36. GROUPS AND TEAMS:Why Groups Are Formed, Forming, Storming
  37. DYSFUNCTIONS OF GROUPS:Norm Violation, Group Think, Risky Shift
  38. JOB DESIGN:Job Rotation, Job Enlargement, Job Enrichment, Skill Variety
  39. JOB DESIGN:Engagement, Disengagement, Social Information Processing, Motivation
  40. LEARNING:Motor Learning, Verbal Learning, Behaviouristic Theories, Acquisition
  41. OBMOD:Applications of OBMOD, Correcting Group Dysfunctions
  42. LEADERSHIP PROCESS:Managers versus Leaders, Defining Leadership
  43. MODERN THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP PROCESS:Transformational Leaders
  44. GREAT LEADERS: STYLES, ACTIVITIES AND SKILLS:Globalization and Leadership
  45. GREAT LEADERS: STYLES, ACTIVITIES AND SKILLS:Planning, Staffing