Stress In The Workplace

9 Pages 2227 Words

The Random House College Dictionary defines stress as, “physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension” (p.1300). Stress is something that we all experience in our lives, more often than not. Stress can be caused by many factors, including poor diet, lack of sleep, rigorous schedules, etc. For many, stress is an everyday part of their job, and can greatly affect their physical and psychological health. For this paper, I plan to describe, in depth, the stresses that many endure in their workplace, including where stress comes from, why stress occurs, what the cause of stress is, and how you can manage and control stress.
There are many sources of stress in the work environment. “A great deal of worker stress is caused by stressors in the environment of the work organization” (Riggio, 2000, p.250). These stressors include job insecurity, excessive competition, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, unpleasant or uncomfortable working conditions, work overload, underutilization, job ambiguity, lack of control and support, long or unusual working hours, as well as income level. Physical sources including lack of sleep, health status, poor diet, as well as drug and alcohol use can contribute to the amount and degree of stress a person experiences on the job.
“While a great deal of stress is created by factors in the organization or by features of jobs and work tasks, some is caused by characteristics of the workers themselves” (Riggio, 2000, p.254). There are two types of behavior patterns that are associated with individual sources of work stress. They have been defined as Type A behavior pattern and susceptibility to stress and to stress effects. Type A behavior pattern is characterized by excessive drive and competitiveness, a sense of urgency and impatience, and underlying hostility (Riggio, 2000). This type of person is otherwise known as a “workaholic.” People who possess Type A behavior patte...