Essay Instructions: The attached term paper will give the student an aexcellent example of how the
paper should be structured with annotated bibliographies of 4-5 studies that
deal with emotional intelligence and workstress. A narrative that summarizes
the conclusions of these studies is also required. This narrative or essay should
be 3-4 pages long double-spaced and must include the annotated articles that
were summarized.
See attached prototype.
Negative stress (often referred to simply as 'stress') is generally understood as and define by an animal's psycho-physiological reaction to external stressors. This type of stress can be acute or chronic, depending on whether it lasts days or weeks. It leads to a host of psychological and physical problems; mentally it can lead to increased aggrivation, decreased concentration, and burnout. Physically, chronic stress can lead to weight gain, weight loss, cardovascular problems, sleep disorders, lowered immune functioning and much much more. This research review will delve into how to measure and moderate negative stress, as well as how to foster positive stress.
Negative stress releases many hormones and neurotransmitters including epinephrine, cortisol and other corticosteroids. The epinephrine raises heart rate and pressure, decreases immune function, decreases digestion, disrupts the circadian cycle, limits blood flow to exremities and much more. Cortisol increases hunger and sleepyness, and decreases arousal.
The second, less well understood type of stress is called eustress. The word is derived from the Greek eu meaning good or well. The term was coined by Hans Selye, an endocrinologist. This type of stress is more prepatory, rather than reactive. Eustress is what gives football players an energy boost right before a game, or lets a cartoonist brainstorm a bunch of new ideas right before the deadline. Eustress prepares the heart, muscles and brain for the mental and physical strength of what is required for the upcoming task. The body cannot physiologically determine the difference between stress and eustress, just as the body exhibits the same somatic reactions to difficult exercise as it does to a bad boss.
A good working understanding on the different types of stress and what creates and relieves them is essential knowledge for any middle to upper-level management worker. Not only are there different types of stress which need to be accounted for, but also the level of stress each employee feels will directly affect his output. The human function curve describes performance VS. stress level. In times of low stress, performance is also lowe. As stress increases, so does performance, until a breaking point at which too much stress turns into fatigue, and performance drops. After the "hump", performance drops rapidly and exhaustion sets in, bringing with it all the afformented physical symptoms.
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How can managers foster eustress carefully? Eustress must be maintained without overcompensating and creating acute stress. This can be done in several ways. The first is creaating reasonable, but tight deadlines for projects, along with several milestones along the way to completion. This keeps the employees focus on the long term project, while keeping it in the near future in his mind. The focus on the deadline must be available, but not overbearing. Input must also be considered from employees; having no say on the future directions of a company leave the individual feeling isolated and frustrated.
Stress can be measured easily using scientific instruments; blood pressure, heart rate, conductivity of the skin are all accurate measures. However, job stress is sometimes less obvious. It can be monitored by close, personal attention from management, surveys, and reports from coworkers. In each case, it is important for the manager to be aware of why the individual is stressed, and what effective actions can be taken. For instance, a worker who is struggling with an enormous load will not benefit from being given extra responsibilities. One must be careful in how he attempts to relieve the stress of his employees.
Negative stress at work can be avoided by being conscious its anticedants. Such factors include poorly defined roles and responsibilities, jobs which do not provide meaning, stimulation or opportunities for workers to use their skills, uncertainty about the future, poor communications between co-workers and management and not giving workers input in larger decisions which affect them. These types of situations either do not fulfill the worker, or leave him anxious about his occupational future.
When trying to mediate the effects of stress at work using social interaction, managers must be careful to control the form that the interaction takes. A study found that social interaction between workers which focuses on the stressors of the workplace, the incompetance of the worker, or his or her replaceability will increase stress. A manager who takes this lesson to heart may wish to be a bit more careful about planning the next holiday party; instead of having coworkers mingle and talk in small groups where these harmful topics may arise, he may instead plan activities which involve the workers and keep them from bringing up harmful subjects.
With the enormous wealth of studies on stress and occupational stress that are now being conducted almost monthly, employers can no longer claim ignorance when it comes to moderating the level of stress their employees are feeling. Truly, it is in every organizations interest to monitor the stress levels of their employees. Not doing so can relate in loss of productivity, raised health care costs and many other 'invisible' costs. Overstressed workers cost our economy billions of dollars every year, and not all of it is due to poor coping skills of the individual. Stress is indemic in the United States workforce, and many companies continue to ignore it as a true source of lost profits, and therefor it has become systemic. This long history and integration does not excuse its presence, however. It is an ethical responsibility of employers to make sure that the jobs that they provide do not spill over into the private lives of their employees. When this spillover becomes widespread and accepted, as it is now, everyone, from corporate heads down to the individual working in the mail room, suffers the consequences.
Research
Social Support, Occupational Stress, and Health, James M. LaRocco, James S. House and John R. P. French, Jr.
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Sep., 1980), pp. 202-218
(article consists of 17 pages)
Published by: American Sociological Association
This article delves into the "buffering hypothesis", which is the idea that social support can help to aleviate on-the-job stress. The findings show that chronic and accute stress can be moderated by social support. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that it is possible for managment to create highly social envionments or situations at work, which can not only lower stress among workers, but can create more cohesiveness.
By Beehr, Terry A.; Bowling, Nathan A.; Bennett, Misty M.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Vol 15(1), Jan 2010, 45-59.
Occupational Stress and Failures of Social Support: When Helping Hurts
This article was very interesting in that it has some findings that directly contradict the "buffering hypothesis". It shows that there are some social situations that can increase stress rather than decrease. These situations include those on which the focus of the conversation is the high stress level of the job, that the person is not needed in their position, or that he/she is incompetant. This is futher proof that managers must be especially careful about how they manage their workers, even when they mean well.
Employee personality as a moderator of the relationships between work stressors and counterproductive work behavior.
Bowling, Nathan A.; Eschleman, Kevin J.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Vol 15(1), Jan 2010, 91-103.
This article looks to the effects of stressors on counterproductive-work-behaviors (CWB's) and their interaction with the employees personality. Their findings indicate that more CWB's occur as a result of stressors when the employees scores low on the personality trait conscientiousness. As this trait increases, CWB's decrease. The study also found that agreeableness scores have no correlation with CWB's.
A longitudinal study of coping and gender in a female-dominated occupation: Predicting teachers’ burnout.
González-Morales, M. Gloria; Rodríguez, Isabel; Peiró, José M.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Vol 15(1), Jan 2010, 29-44.
This study sought to study coping and gender in the area of teachers. It's findings report that in the spanish primary and secondary school teachers which were the subjects, the indicators of burnout, cynicism and exhaustion, increased over time and were not allevieated in women who sought social coping support, and even more suprisingly it was found to be damaging to men.
The relationship between stressors and creativity: A meta-analysis examining competing theoretical models.
Byron, Kristin; Khazanchi, Shalini; Nazarian, Deborah
Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol 95(1), Jan 2010, 201-212
This study sought to chart the relationship between creativity and stress. What they found is that creativity increases in instances of low to moderate stress, and begins to rapidly decrease during times of high stress. This reinforces the human function curve theory.
References
Adkins, Joyce A. Promoting organizational health: The evolving practice ofoccupational health psychology.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Vol 30(2), Apr 1999, 129-137.
Pal, S., & Saksvik, P. (2008, February). Work-family conflict psychosocial work environment stressors as predictors of job stress in a cross-cultural study. International Journal of Stress Management, 15(1) 22-42.
Ackerley, Gary D.; Burnell, Juliann; Holder, Dale C.; Kurdek, Lawrence A. Burnout among licensed psychologists.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Vol 19(6), Dec 1988, 624-631.
Fried, Y., Rowland, K. M., & Ferris G.R. (1984). The physiological measurement of work stress: a critique. Personnel Psychology, 37, 583-616
Vidya A L.,Levinson E. M,. Barker, W and Kievvra K. R (1999) The Effects of Meditation on Teacher Perceived Occupational Stress, Stateand Trait Anxiety, and Burnout School. Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 14, 3-25
Adams, Gary A.; Jex, Steve M. Relationships between time management, control, work??"family conflict, and strain.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Vol 4(1), Jan 1999, 72-77.
Allen, Tammy D.; Herst, David E. L.; Bruck, Carly S.; Sutton, Martha Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Vol 5(2), Apr 2000, 278-308.
Anderson, Vidya L.; Levinson, Edward M.; Barker, William; Kiewra, Kathleen R. The effects of meditation on teacher perceived occupational stress, state and trait anxiety, and burnout.
School Psychology Quarterly. Vol 14(1), Spr 1999, 3-25.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156788.php
http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/beaton.html
http://www.stressfocus.com/stress_focus_article/types-of-stress.htm