Stress In The Workplace

9 Pages 2227 Words

rn are more susceptible to develop stress-related coronary heart disease, including fatal heart attacks, which can be caused by competitiveness, hostility, and impatience, as well as the expression of negative emotions. “Overall, the one characteristic that many researchers agree is associated with the negative aspects of stress in Type As is that of negative affectivity (whether it be anxiety, anger, pessimism, or whatever). In other words, perhaps it is not the amount of work undertaken, or aspects of the work situation itself that affect Type As, but rather they way they think and feel about the work they do” (Riggio, 2000, pp.255-256).
The second individual source of work stress is known as susceptibility to stress and to stress effects. Meaning, some people are more susceptible to stress than others. The concept of hardiness can be applied in this source of work stress. “….hardy personality types are resistant to the harmful effects of stress because of their style of dealing with stressful events. Rather than viewing a stressful situation as a threat, they view it as a challenge. Moreover, they also believe that they can control and influence the course of their lives (recall that a sense of lack of control can contribute to stress) and are committed to their jobs” (Riggio, 2000, pp.256-257). Another characteristic that is identified with this type of person is self-efficacy, which is defined as “as individual’s beliefs in his or her abilities to engage in courses of action that will lead to desired outcomes” (Riggio, 2000, p.257).
Stress can have a major effect on people and their work behaviors. Stress can affect a person’s health greatly. Almost one-half of all physical illnesses are stress-related. Such illnesses include high blood pressure, heart disease, migraine headaches, etc. Worker stress also affects a person’s psychological state. A person who is extremely stressed can become dep...