Stress Management

Topics need to be covered

• Definition of Stress.
• Eustress and Distress
• Sources of Stress: Internal and External,
• The Causes of Stress: Extra- organizational, Organizational,
Group and Individual Stressors,
• Symptoms and Effects of Stress: Physical and psychological
• Coping Strategies- Problem focused and Emotion focused
• Concept of Burnout, Steps to handle Burnout, Psychological
and Behavioral Problems,
• Strategies to cope with Stress: Individual and Organizational.
 Definition

Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is

confronted with an opportunity, constraint or demand related
to what he or she desires and for which the outcome is
perceived to be both uncertain and important
Most useful and widely accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to
Richard S. Lazarus) is this: stress is a condition or feeling experienced when
a person perceives that "demands exceed the personal and social
resources the individual is able to mobilize." In less formal terms, we feel
stressed when we feel that "things are out of control."
 Social Readjustment Scale Holmes
& Rahe, 1967

In the past year, have you experienced:

1. __ Death of a spouse 100 26. __ Wife starting/ending work 26

2. __ Divorce 73 29. __ Change in personal habits 24
3. __ Marital separation 65 32. __ Change in residence 20
7. __ Marriage 50 33. __ Change to a new school 20
8. __ Being fired 47 35. __ Change in church activities 19
17.__ Death of a close friend 37 36. __ Change in social activities 18
18.__ Changing to different work 36 38. __ Change in sleeping habits 16
19.__ Change # spouse arguments 35 41. __ Vacation 13
20.__ Taking a loan on house 31 43. __ Minor law issue (ticket, etc.) 11
Eustress and Distress
Difference between Eustress and Distress
 Distress
• Distress is a type of stress which occurs when trauma, anxiety
and worry are not productive

• Instead of inspiring healthful action, cause the person to shut

down

• It is a stress that paralyzes a person in fear, interferes with

their ability to think clearly, work, interact with others or
fulfill their obligations in daily life which is not helpful

• When the result is less action, the stress is directly or

indirectly negative and therefore a problem
 Causes of Stress

• Extra-organizational Stressors

• Organizational Stressors

• Group Stressors

• Individual Stressors
 Extra- organizational Stressors (Outside organizations)

• Social and Technological changes- Increase in Urbanization, time pressures,

overcrowding, fast lifestyles, etc

• Family problems- Husband and Wife working

• Relocation to a new place- Looking for a suitable school for children, finding a home,
etc

• Economic and Financial Conditions- Taking up second/part-time jobs to meet adverse

financial conditions, Death of a loved one, Sudden loss of job, unexpected break-up in a
relationship or family, changes in life patterns, etc

• Race & Class- Minority groups feeling isolated at work, women/men facing
discrimination against their male/female counterparts and managing work and family,
etc

• Residential and Community Conditions- Lack of neighborliness in huge apartments,

level of noise pollution in a particular region
 Organizational Stressors
• High Stress jobs- Hectic work schedules and job responsibilities,
Pressure to perform well

• Job role- Work Overload, Insufficient amount of work, Role ambiguity,

role conflict and responsibility for the work of others, Underutlization of
employees, etc

• Poor working conditions- Extreme heat, noise and overcrowding,

Improperly designed workplace, improper lighting and equipement and
inadequate work surfaces

• Organizational politics- Increased competition, power struggles, etc

• Poor work relationships- Bad Interpersonal relationships with the

immediate superior and colleagues
 Group Stressors

• Absence of group cohesiveness- Excluding an employee or

prohibiting an employee from being a participant in the group
activities

• Absence of support from other members- Inability to share

problems with others within the group

• Conflicts related to the group- Conflict between personal goals

and values and those of the groups, Differences between
group members, etc
 Individual Stressors(Person’s disposition and situation’s
demand)
• Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity- Conflicting role demands and incomplete
job information, Work-family imbalance, lack of proper training, poor
communication between managers, intentional withholding of information from
employees, etc

• Type A characteristics- Being competitive and ambitious, highly involved in

work, aggressive, motivated and conscious of time, putting long hours of work ,
working on weekends, etc

• Locus of Control- Degree of control over work environment

• Learned helplessness- Lack of control on work situations

• Self efficacy- Self perceptions of how well a person can cope with situations as
they arise

• Psychological hardiness- Person’s ability to cope with stress

 Learned Helplessness Theory-Martin EP
Seligman(1967)
• Learned helplessness theory explains the behavior of certain
individuals who become helpless in a stressful situation and do
not attempt to change things

• They learn to accept certain stressors as a part of their work life

• They believe that nothing they do can change or alter their

stressors

• Martin EP Seligman and his colleagues conducted experiments

on dogs to learn the relationship between fear and learning
 Martin Seligman’s Experiment on Learned
Helplessness
• The dogs were initially subjected to a mild electric shock when the bell was
rung but the dogs could not escape because they were restrained in a
hammock

• The researchers believed that the dogs would associate the bell with electric
shock and learn to escape as per the classical conditioning theory principle

• They placed a dog which had been exposed to electric shocks in a shuttle box
with low fence that divided the box into two compartments

• When the bell rang, even when the dog was subjected to a small electric
shock, the dog just lay in its place and did not try to escape

• The dog had therefore learned to become helpless although it could have
easily jumped over the fence to escape the shock
Learned Helplessness-Martin Seligman
 Hardiness
• Resistance resource in the encounter with stressful
situations.
• Three dimensions i.e., commitment, control, and
challenge.
• Control: Tendency to believe and act as if one can
influence the life events through one’s own effort.
• Commitment: Tendency to involve oneself in the
activities in life and have a genuine interest in and
curiosity about the activities, things and other people.
• Challenge: the belief that changes in life are
opportunities for personal growth.
 Type A Personality
• Competitiveness: Type A individuals tend to be very competitive
and self-critical. They strive toward goals without feeling a sense
of joy in their efforts or accomplishments.

• Time Urgency: Type A personalities experience a constant sense of

urgency: Type A people seem to be in a constant struggle against
the clock.

• Hostility: Type A individuals tend to be easily aroused to anger or

hostility, which they may or may not express overtly. Such
individuals tend to see the worse in others, displaying anger, envy
and a lack of compassion.
 Effects of Occupational Stress
• Physical Problems- Headaches, increase in blood pressure,
sweating, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal disorders, fatigue,
ulcers, arthritis and allergies

• Psychological Problems- Anger, anxiety, boredom, depression,

dissatisfaction, tension, irritation. Distraction, aggression,
hostile behavior and lowered self esteem

• Behavioral Problems- Sleep disorders, overeating, increased

smoking or alcohol consumption, use of addictive substances
like drugs, rude behavior, rapid speech,
fidgeting(impatience),nervousness
 Coping Skills
Problem Focused
• Define the problem
• Generate alternative solutions
• Weigh the costs and benefits of
the alternatives
• Choose between alternative
solutions and then act upon
your choice.
Emotion Focused
• Behavioral strategies include
physical exercise, using alcohol or
other drugs, venting anger, and
seeking emotional support from
friends.
• Cognitive strategies include
temporarily setting the problem
aside and reducing the threat by
changing the meaning of the
situation.
Individual Problem focused strategies to cope
with stress
These strategies help an individual cope with stress by identifying
the source of stress and determining the course of action that will
reduce the stress levels. The types are:

• Time Management- Making a time frame, prioritizing urgent and

important work, taking care of demanding tasks,etc

• Requesting others for help- Additional training, asking superiors or

colleagues to help in work

• Shifting to another job- Change the nature of the job, seek

employment on other organization
Individual Emotion focused strategies to cope with stress

These strategies reduce the stress to manageable(healthy and

comfortable) levels by modifying the way people react to certain
stressful conditions. The types are:
• Relaxation- Meditation and Massage therapy

• Exercise- Gym, Walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, sports

• Psychological strategies- Increased self awareness and questioning the

ability to cope with the worst possible outcome

• Recreation- Hobbies and recreational activities like reading, dancing,

horse-riding, singing, vacation, etc

• Companionship- Family or friends gathering, get-together, parties, etc

 Organizational Problem focused strategies to
cope with stress
These strategies are designed by the management to reduce work-related
stress in employees
• Redesigning the job- Job analysis, Job enrichment, flexi-time, etc

• Proper selection and placement- Proper Recruitment and Selection

policies,

• Training- Various On-the job and Off-the job Training and MDP methods

• Team building- Team based approach

• Providing various day care facilities- Organizations providing child care

facilities to employees
 Organizational Emotion focused strategies to
cope with stress
Organizations also use the following strategies to help their employees cope with
high stress level as a last option
• Promoting open communication within the organization- Two way
communication, keeping employees informed about changes taking place, etc

• Employee assistance program- Free counselling, referring the employees to

specialists, etc

• Mentoring- Placing less experienced employees under the care and guidance of
experienced senior employees for counselling

• Wellness programs and personal time off- Workshops on quit smoking, prevent
drug abuse, control alcohol consumption and develop a regular exercise regimen
 Burnout

• Exhaustion is a state of extreme physical or mental tiredness

• Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and physical

exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress

• It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and are unable to meet

constant demands
Difference between Stress and
Burnout
Meaning Stress implies an Burnout refers to a state of mental
adaptive response to or emotional tiredness, occurs out of
any kind of demand continuous exposure to stress.
caused due to adverse
circumstances.

Feeling Anxiety, mood swings, Hypertension, mental depression,

guilt. impatient, irritable.

Encounters Fatigue Chronic Exhaustion

Loss of Motivation and hope Physical energy

Work Dissatisfaction with Bored and cynical about work.

work

Job commitment Dropped off Virtually zero

Results in Lack of concentration, Forgetfulness is frequent.

tends to forget things.

Undergoes Physiological changes Psychosomatic complaints