psychological and physical reaction to certain life events

may be positive or negative

stress is defined in terms of the specific environmental conditions that produce arousal

limited value: the same conditions are not equally stressful for all people

stress is a state manifested by the pattern of responses that characterizes a fight-or-flight reaction

we infer stress from the symptoms

problem: does not tell us what situations will produce stress

selye general adaption syndrome

classic model of stress response

alarm reaction

stage of resistance

stage of exhaustion

when an organism faces a stressful event (stressor), the body shows an alarm reaction

changes in blood sugar level, blood pressure, heart rate, release of adrenal hormones

body uses its resources to keep its physiology on a normal course

must work harder to maintain itself, so it is sousceptible to the effects of additional stress

if resistance continues, body may wear down and go into third stage

occurs when the body can no longer resist stress and body energy is depleted

possibly life threatening

combination of stimuli and responses

poor fit between the demands of the environment and the person's ability to respond to it

accounts for the fact that the level of stress is produced by events may vary from person to person

stressful life events

homes and rahe

death of a spouse

divorce

marital separation

death of a familiy member

detention in jail

major personal injury

marriage

being fired from work

retirement from work

major change in family health

locus of control

frustration tolerance

optimism

type a/b behavior pattern

hardiness

excessive achievement striving

exaggerated sense of urgency

tendency towards anger, hostility in interpersonal behavior

absence of type a characteristics

less competitive

more easy-going

hardy people:

committed to goals

feel in control of their own lives

treat frustrations as challenges rather than threats

intrinsic work factors of stress

environmental

lighting, temperature

excessive noise

poorly designed workspace

poor human-machine interface

long-hours

excessive travel

heavy workload

discontinuity between task complexity and skill/ability level

sets of behaviors expected of a person who occupies a particular position in a group

role ambiguity

role conflict

models of work-family conflict

spillover model

physical and emotional exhaustion

depersonalization

reduced personal accomplishment