stress & burnout

This week we discussed topics revolving around the concept of stress, including:

• the problem of stress
• eustress
• distress
• general adaptation syndrome
• alarm reaction 
• resistance
• exhaustion
• methods of coping
• role stressors/conflict
• burnout
• levels of preventions strategy
• reducing and managing stress
• Gig
• flight attendant

eustress- type of stress that provides challenges that motivate individuals to work hard and meet their goals

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)- a nearly identical response sequence to almost any disease or trauma (poisoning, injury, psychological stress); identified by Hans Seyle

burnout- extreme state of psychological strain resulting from a prolonged response to chronic job stressors that exceed an individual's resources to cope with them

primary prevention strategy- stress prevention strategy concerned with modifying or eliminating stressors in the work environment

Reaction

This topic was well planned for this point in the semester and ironically for the events going on in my personal life. Stress caused by classes, work, personal life add up and can really cause someone to become overwhelmed and ill if they don't seek help to manage and relieve that stress. There are different types of stress but the one most damaging is distress.

distress- type of stress resulting from chronically demanding situations that produce negative outcomes

Those negative outcomes include:

• behavioral consequences (ex. absenteeism, alcohol, drugs, information processing)
• psychological consequences (ex. anxiety, depression, fatigue, depersonalization)
• physiological consequences (ex. blood pressure, digestive issues, lowered immune system)

Without management, these can consume an individual's life and cause them to not be able to function at their highest level. 

Analysis

This past week brought about a variety of issues that arose in my personal life. These issues caused me a great deal of distress that sparked behavioral, psychological, and physiological consequences. I'm still recovering from these consequences even though I have moved on to a new chapter in my life. This is a great example of why my post is late today- my memory is shot this week from dealing with everything which is a behavioral consequence of distress. In class we weren't sure which stage of memory was affected by stress- either something to do with how we encode the information or not forming cues to be able to retrieve that information later.

These things ran over into my abilities to properly function at work and in class. It's ridiculous how much stress can do to a person. After noticing how utterly down I was, my supervisor made a call to someone (social support) who could help remove me from the situation (problem-focused coping).

social support- the comfort, assistance, or information an individual receives through formal or informal contacts with individuals or groups

problem-focused coping- directed at managing or altering a problem causing the stress

It wouldn't be emotion-focused coping:

emotion-focused coping- directed at reducing the emotional response to a problem by avoiding, minimizing, or distancing oneself from the problem

because we were trying to get me completely out of the situation causing me stress not trying to change my emotional response to the stress.

I realize the stress wasn't initiated by the work environment but my stress outside of the work environment did impact my ability to perform well in my work and class tasks. However, the same concepts can apply since we are dealing with the topic of stress.

Reflection
So many components go into how to manage and prevent stress. There are many outlets for individuals to seek in order to better deal with, eliminate, or prevent stress. An example from our classroom discussion:

employee assistance program (EAP)- counseling provided by an organization to deal with workplace stress, alcohol, or drug difficulties, and problems stemming from outside the job

It is important for organizations to understand the causes and effects of stress on an individual. Because the likelihood of those overlapping into the work environment are fairly high. Organizations need to be sure to educate their supervisors and all employees to know the signs of stress and what resources are available to handle it.

motivation

This week's topics:

• motivation
• motivational theories- classic approaches
• modern approaches to work motivation
• practical issues in motivation
• Gig
• adhesives company sales rep
• article
• academy of management executive (on the folly of rewarding A, while hoping for B and more on folly)

motivation- concerns the conditions responsible for variations in intensity, quality, and direction of ongoing behavior

need- internal motivation thought to be inborn and universally present in humans (Maslow)

person as machine- metaphor suggesting that people's behaviors and actions are reflexive and involuntary and are performed without conscious awareness

person as godlike- metaphor suggesting that people are perfectly rational and intentional rather than automatic/reflexive

performance = (motivation x ability) - situational constraints

Reaction

Without certain pieces of the equation above, we will never achieve performance. There are many factors that go into each piece of the equation above. This week we focused on the motivation piece. These are the main theories that tie into motivation: Maslow's hierarchy of needs, two-factor theory, ERG theory, reinforcement theory, equity theory, and VIE theory. Each account for different things people experience in order to have needs met in order to be motivated to achieve something.

Analysis

In one of my more recent jobs, my motivation was to do the best job I could and to run down the clock. I wanted to get things done well and fill my entire shift because if there were not enough things to be done, people would get sent home early. When I gave my boss a quality performance, he was more likely to reward me with not being sent home early even if there were few things to be completed. These could be considered incentives.

incentives- situational factors that direct behavior to achieve goals that satisfy needs

My boss needed specific tasks performed, he wanted them done well. The incentive to meet what my boss needed accomplished was the possibility of not being sent home early. If you did things well, my boss knew you would be capable of staying later and working alone. The reward was getting those precious extra hours.

Reflection
A lot of things play into this concept- motivation. Factors on both the employer and employee's side need to be considered when setting up the rewards system for an organization. Like the other topics we cover, there are many things that need to be considered and could go wrong. The article we read discussed the various follies experienced in different situations. With careful planning, organizations can have meaningful rewards systems for their members. Occasional evaluation of this system should be performed in order to maintain a quality system that is appreciated.

diversity

"Culture is more often a source of conflict than a synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster." Geert Hofstede, Emeritus Professor, Masstricht University

This week's topics:

• multicultural and cross-cultural issues in I/O psychology
• diversity
• models
• assimilation
• protection
• value
• Hofstede's five dimensions
• individualist vs. collectivist cultures
• power distance
• uncertainty avoidance
• masculinity vs. femininity
• long-term vs. short-term orientation
• merging organizations
• ethnocentrism
• polycentrism
• regiocentrism
• geocentrism
• Gig
• tofu manufacturer
• merchandise handler
• article
• affirmative action: psychological contributions to policy

diversity- differences in demographic characteristics; also includes differences in values, abilities, interests, and experiences

• can be predicated on attributes that are easy to detect (surface-level), or on attributes that are less detectable (underlying)
• can be distinguished on the basis of attributes that are related to tasks compared with those that are more relationship oriented

multinational- diversity of nationalities

multicultural organizations- characterized by full structural and formal integration, minimal prejudice or discrimination, minimal subgroup differences in organizational attachment, and low levels of conflict; one culture reflecting the mixture of diversity in an organization rather than several mini cultures reflecting the different elements in the mixture

REACTION
Diversity is a touchy subject that organizations must handle carefully. There are too many things that can be distorted and taken out of context. Even the best intentions may not turn out to be politically correct. There is a lot for organizations to consider both ethically and legally.

ANALYSIS
In one job, I have had to handle incoming applications for various positions. We consider everyone who applies. It always comes down to what skills each person brings to the table. There are so many applications turned in that do not meet the specified requirements and we have no choice but to hire someone else. Another consideration is how well they can communicate with people since most of these jobs are customer-service oriented. Diversity issues are never a factor when making these types of decisions. These go back to the concept of affirmative action.

affirmative action- program that acknowledges that particular demographic groups may be underrepresented in the work environment; provides specific mechanisms for reducing this underrepresentation

• promise equal opportunities (not outcomes)
• specialized recruiting programs intended to reach underrepresented groups in the workforce
• specialized pre- or posthire training to develop job-related KSAOs
• mentoring programs for underrepresented groups 
• planned developmental opportunities such as assignment to particular teams and departments
• specialized performance feedback programs

We have to afford equal opportunities to everyone by allowing them to apply and be considered. That does not mean every minority person who applies is guaranteed a job.

REFLECTION
These are hot-button topics. People get very heated when they debate these issues. Some feel that in the end majorities are being discriminated against. It's a difficult subject for I/O psychologists to handle. Careful steps need to be taken in order to maintain justice and fairness within organizations.