1. Stress and Stress Management:
Dealing with the Demands of Life and Work
Prepared for SHP 1313 at UTM Skudai, Johore, MALAYSIA
by Siti Rokiah Siwok,

2. Pressure vs performance

3. The U-shape stress-preformance graph

4. Introduction
Stress influence our behaviour and thus our relations with others at work
Stress has serious health implications if not properly managed.
To properly manage stress, it has to be identified, understood, and learn ways to handle it.

5. Definitions
Stress is the psychological and physical reaction to certain life events or situations (Aamodt, 2007)
Stress is the non-specific responses of the body to any demand made on it. (Hans Selye, 1930 in Huffman, 2007).
Stress is the general term describing the psychological and physical response to a stimuli that alters the body’s equilibrium (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984 in Kosslyn & Rosenberg, 2006)

6. Stress and stressor
The stimulus that throws the body out of its equilibrium state is called a stressor.
The body’s response to a stressor is the stress response.
This response consists of the bodily changes to help us cope with the stressor. Eg: the production of endorphins and enkephalins when we get a puncture wound.

7. Stress and stressor
The body is nearly always in a some state of stress, whether pleasant or unpleasant, mind or severe (Huffman, 2007).
A total absence of stress means a total absence of stimulation , which would eventually lead to death!
When stress is beneficial, it is called eustress.
The bad or harmful one is called distress.
Because health psychology has been chiefly concerned with negative effects of stress, the word “stress” usually refers to the harmful stress.

8. Relax....so far..... we learned....

9. Some “Stress” Terms Stress Stressor Strain
The psychological and physical reaction to certain life events or situations.
Stressor
The life event that causes stress
Strain
The consequences of stress

10. And ….there are two Types of Stress
Eustress
Stress converted to positive energy
Desirable outcome of stress
Motivational results
Optimal level of arousal
Distress
Negative outcome
Results in emotional and physical illness

11. Eustress
It is the type of stress you experience right before you have the need to exert physical force. The feelings of stress is converted into positive energy and motivates the person.
Eustress prepares the muscles, heart, and mind for the strength needed for whatever is about to occur.

12. Eustress
Eustress can also apply to creative endeavors. When a person needs to have some extra energy or creativity, eustress kicks in to bring them the inspiration they need.
An example is the anxiety you feel before taking the exam, without the anxiety, you might not have the motivation and energy to spend the necessary time to study.

13. Predisposition to Stress

14. Predisposition to Stress
Stress Personalities
Type A vs. Type B
Pessimists vs. Optimists
Neuroticism
Gender, Ethnicity, Race
Stress Sensitization

15. Personality and Stress
Type A personality traits include time pressure, anger, and hostility.
Behavior modification is used to encourage Type A persons to slow down, follow a diet, to exercise, and to avoid cynical hostility.
Hardiness is a personality type that is resistant to stress.
Hardiness involves:
Commitment to personal goals
Personal view of being in control
Viewing change as a welcome challenge
© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

16. Is Stress a problem?
Stress is good in mild doses but if it exceeds the limit it can lead to
Physical Problems
Psychological Problems

17. Categories of Stress

18. Categorisation of stressors
Duration of Stressors
Types of stressors
Acute
Chronic
Physical
Injured in a car crash
Having cancer; being underfed
Psychological
Working against a deadline
Chronically pressured at the workplace
Social
Being humiliated
Chronic isolation; overcrowding

19. Some major stressors Sources of stress Occupational stressors
Cataclysmic events
Life changes
Sources of stress
Conflict
Hassles
Frustration

20. Cataclysmic events
Eg : the tsunami (2004), hurricane Katrina (2005. they occur suddenly and affect many people simultaneously.
Devastating effect to all parts of the victims lives.
Survivors may develop a prolonged and severe stress reaction known as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) .

21. Two broad categories of stress
Stressors can be broadly grouped under two broad categories, namely personal stress and occupational stress.

22. Person related stress

23. Predisposition to Stress
Stress Personalities
Type A vs. Type B
Pessimists vs. Optimists
Neuroticism
Gender, Ethnicity, Race
Stress Sensitization

24. Personality and Stress
Type A personality traits include time pressure, anger, and hostility.
Behavior modification is used to encourage Type A persons to slow down, follow a diet, to exercise, and to avoid cynical hostility.
Hardiness is a personality type that is resistant to stress.
Hardiness involves:
Commitment to personal goals
Personal view of being in control
Viewing change as a welcome challenge
© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

25. Life changes
Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe believed that change of any kind that required some adjustment in behaviour or lifestyle could cause stress.
Holmes and Rahe’s Stress Scale

26. Hassles
Hassles are little problems of daily living, which are not significant in themselves but sometimes pile up to become a major source of stress.
Some hassles are shared by all, such as time pressure , problems with family and co-workers and financial concerns.
Reactions to hassles may vary- compared to women, men tend to have more impairment to their immune system and increased heart rate in response to hassles ( Delahanty et al, 2000, in Huffman, 2007)

27. Conflict
When we have to make a choice between at least two incompatible alternatives.
The amount of stress produced by the these forced choices depends on the complexity of the conflict and the difficulty involved in resolving it.

28. Frustration
Frustration is a negative emotional state generally associated with a blocked goal.
The more motivated we are, the more frustration we experience when our goals are blocked

29. Other Personal Stressors are due to:
Fear
Resistance
Resentment

30. Other Personal Stressors are due to:
Your physical state of health
Inefficient work habits
Unrealistically
high self
expectations

31. Sources of Stress: Occupational Stressors

32. Occupational Stressors
The largest source of chronic stressor is work or occupation.
Researchers documented that stress at work can also cause serious stress at home.
Occupational stressor can be grouped under two broad categories: job characteristics and organizational characteristics

33. Sources of Stress: Occupational Stressors
Job Characteristics
Role conflict
Role ambiguity
Role overload
Organizational Characteristics
Person/organization fit
Change
Relations with others
Organizational politics

34. Job characteristics Three job characteristics cause stress:
role conflict
role ambiguity
role overload

35. Role conflict
Role conflict occurs when our work expectations and what we think we should be doing don’t match with the work we actually have to do.
Role conflict also occurs when an emplyee has competing roles or conflicting roles.

36. Role ambiguity
Role ambiguity occurs when an individual’s job duties and performance expectations are not clearly defined

37. Role overload
Role overload develops when individuals either feel they lack the skills or workplace resources to complete a task or perceive that the task cannot be done in the required amount of time

38. Organizational stressors
Organizational characteristics that are likely to cause stress include factors such as person-organization fit, organization rules and policies, supervisory relationships and organizational change.

39. Occupational :Organizational stressor

40. Person-organizational fit
Person-organizational fit refers to how well factors such as your skills, knowledge, abilities, personalities, values etc match those of the organization.
Besides the “work related” fit, there are other areas in which compatibility is critical for an employee to feel “fit” into an organization and perform well, such as the philosophy of the organization.

41. Change
A major contributor to organizational stress is change in the work place: such as downsizing and restructuring

42. Relations with others
Co workers and customers can be a major source of stress.

43. Organizational politics
Meta analyses by a number of researchers found that an important source of employee stress is the perceived use of organizational politics.

44. Another way at looking at Worker Stress from Rigg

45. Stressor in the Physical Environment
Noise
Over Crowding
Heat
Air Pollution
Lighting

46. Consequences of Stress

47. Physically it can cause or trigger
Coronary heart disease
Hyper tension
Migraine
Lower back pain
Ulcers
Indigestion
Diabetes
Cancer
Skin disorders
Lowered immunity

48. Psychologically it will lead you to…..
Depression
Helplessness and Hopelessness
Anger
Anxiety
Burnout

49. Consequences of Stress
The sympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system is activated during stress.
Increased heart rate, muscle tension,blood pressure
HPA Axis: Release of adrenaline and cortisol
These physiological changes use up energy and can be sustained for only a period of time.
Prolonged stressor exposure leads to exhaustion and death.
© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

50. Consequences of Stress
Impairment of immune system functioning
There is evidence that stress can affect the growth of some cancerous tumors, due to:
The inability of the NK cells to work well to prevent the spread of tumors cells when the immune system is suppressed.
Stress facilitate the growth of capillaries feeding into the tumor.

51. Consequences of Stress
Heart disease
Eliciting negative emotions such as anger, fear, sadness and helplessness.
When the stress is chronic, it can lead to despair, helplessness and depression.
Depression appears to be associated with greater likelihood of heart disease.
Likeability to engage in health-impairing /self-destructing behaviours.

52. Organizational consequence of stress

53. Burnout
Chronic stressors on the job, physical and mental exhaustion , a sense of little accomplishment add up to burnout .
Burnout is a state of being overwhelmed by stress.

54. Signs of Burnout Less energy Lower productivity Being late to work
Complaining and negativity
Decreased concentration
Forgetfulness
Apathy
Dread coming to work
Feeling overwhelmed
Tension and frustration
Feelings of little impact on coworkers or the organization

55. Other consequences
Absenteeism and turnover
Drug and alcohol abuse

56. Management of Stress Exercise Laughter Diet Stop smoking Sleep
Support network
Self empowerment
Improve coping skills
Prayer and meditation
Positive thinking
Tawakkal

57. Resources to Manage Stress
Health and energy are key aspects to minimize the damage produced by stress.
Positive beliefs are important for reducing stress impact.
Social skills lead to social support.
Social support (network of friends, family) reduces stress impact.
Material resources can help to minimize the sources and types of stress.
Personal control allows people to buffer the negative reactions to stress.
© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

58. Managemen of Stress: Locus of Control
External Locus of Control: believing that chance or outside forces beyond one’s control determine one’s fate
Internal Locus of Control: believing that one controls one’s own fate
People with an internal locus of control are more likely to adopt more positive coping strategies.
© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

59. “Grant me the courage to change things that I can change, the serenity to accept those I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference”
Reinhold Niebuhr

60. Measurement of Worker Stress
Physiological measures of stress include blood pressure monitoring, EKGs for heart rate, or blood tests for stress-linked hormones (cortisol) and cholesterol.
Difficulties with such measures include variation of such physiological processes within each person throughout the day and variation between individuals.
Medical personnel are needed to administer such measures.

61. Measurement of Worker Stress
Self-report assessments of stress include reports about organizational conditions and reports about psychological and/or physical states.
Reports on organizational conditions involve questions about job autonomy, feedback, task identity, task significance, skill variety, workload, etc.
Self-report measures of psychological /physical stress include the Stress Diagnostic Survey, the Occupational Stress Indicator, and the Job Stress Survey.

62. Measurement of Burnout
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)

63. Stress reduction intervention related to the life/work issues
Easing the child-care facilities:
On site child-care facilities
Voucher system
Easing the elderly –care burden
Providing rest through paid time off.
Easing the daily-chore burden:
Flexi hours
Increasing the no. of annual leaves
Providing essential services on site

64. Read more……………
Have a nice, non-stressful day

65. References
Aamodt, M.G (2010). Industrial and organizational psychology. An applied approach (6th ed) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Riggio, R. E. ( 2009). Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (5th ed). New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Huffman, K. (2007). Psychology in Action. New Jersey: Wiley
Kosslyn, S. M and Rosenberg, R. S. (2006). Psychology in Context. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon
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Generous individuals who shared their slides through the internet.