Gregor has worked in software quality assurance for three years, but is looking for opportunities at other companies as a means to increase his salary and gain responsibility. To prepare for his interview for a software engineer position, he studies programming in his spare time and asks friends who are already programmers for interview tips. Despite his relative lack of experience, he is thrilled when the human resources manager for the new company calls to tell him he has been hired. Although he is eager to please his new boss, he gets nervous when his first assignment requires him to implement a new user interface feature in a programming language he is not very familiar with. While feeling a bit anxious about his ability to complete the task, he uses online tutorials and asks for guidance from co-workers to help him achieve his goal. He has to work late for three nights, but by the end of the week, he is proud to have accomplished the task successfully and have learned new skills in the process. Gregor's path to success is an example of
- work responsibility.
- work complexity.
- role ambiguity.
- time pressure.
- role overload.
Work complexity refers to the degree to which the requirements of the work-in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities-tax or exceed the capabilities of the person who is responsible for performing the work. Although these types of experiences tend to be quite stressful, workers report that being stretched beyond their capacity is well worth the associated discomfort.
Work Complexity: The degree to which job requirements tax or just exceed employee capabilities.
Which of the following refers to the degree to which the requirements of the work-in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities-tax or exceed the capabilities of the person who is responsible for performing the work?
- work responsibility
- time pressure
- work complexity
- role conflict
- a negative life event
Work complexity refers to the degree to which the requirements of the work-in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities-tax or exceed the capabilities of the person who is responsible for performing the work.
Work Complexity: The degree to which job requirements tax or just exceed employee capabilities.
When people first encounter stressors, the process of primary appraisal is triggered.
When people first encounter stressors, the process of primary appraisal is triggered. Primary appraisal occurs as people evaluate the significance and the meaning of the stressor they are confronting.
Primary Appraisal: Evaluation of whether a demand is stressful and, if it is, the implications of the stressor in terms of personal goals and well-being.
________ occurs as people evaluate the significance and the meaning of the stressors they are confronting.
- Primary appraisal
- Transactional analysis
- Cognitive appraisal
- Role conflict
- Problem-focused appraisal
Primary appraisal occurs as people evaluate the significance and the meaning of the stressors they are confronting. Here, people first consider whether a demand causes them to feel stressed, and if it does, they consider the implications of the stressor in terms of their personal goals and overall well-being.
Primary Appraisal: Evaluation of whether a demand is stressful and, if it is, the implications of the stressor in terms of personal goals and well-being.
Judy has just started a new job as a checker at Farmer's Grocery. It is her first job after graduating from high school, and she hopes to save enough money in the first year to be able to move in with her boyfriend. In her first week, she befriends two other new checkers, Silvio and Natasha, and she finds the majority of customers to be polite and sociable. At the end of her first week on the job, she checks the upcoming week's work schedule only to discover that she is scheduled to have Tuesday and Friday off instead of Wednesday and Thursday as she requested. She is disappointed because her boyfriend has Wednesdays and Thursdays off from his job as a waiter, and their conflicting schedules means she will not be able to see him much. The next week, she finds that she has Tuesday and Saturday off, despite once again requesting Wednesday and Thursday off. The week after that, she finds herself feeling anxious about going into the break room because she is reluctant to find out if her days off are again different from what she requested. According to what you know about the transactional theory of stress, what will be the next step Judy takes?
- to ignore the problem and see if her boyfriend can get his work schedule changed to match hers
- to call in sick on the days she wants to have off and try to pick up extra shifts to make up the difference
- to confront her manager and demand that her schedule match the schedule she has requested, or else she will quit
- to decide that no job is worth that kind of hassle and immediately look for a new job that offers a more desirable, fixed schedule
- to realize the importance of spending time with her boyfriend and understand that a variable work schedule will negatively impact her personal life
The transactional theory of stress explains how stressors are perceived and appraised, as well as how people respond to those perceptions and appraisals. When people first encounter stressors, the process of primary appraisal is triggered. Primary appraisal occurs as people evaluate the significance and the meaning of the stressor they are confronting. Here, people first consider whether a demand causes them to feel stressed, and if it does, they consider the implications of the stressor in terms of their personal goals and overall well-being.
Transactional Theory Of Stress: A theory that explains how stressful demands are perceived and appraised, as well as how people respond to the perceptions and appraisals.
When people first encounter stressors, the process of ________ is triggered.
- behavioral appraisal
- problem-focused appraisal
- primary appraisal
- emotional venting
- critical thinking
Primary appraisal occurs as people evaluate the significance and meaning of the stressors they are confronting. Here, people first consider whether a demand causes them to feel stressed, and if it does, they consider the implications of the stressor in terms of their personal goals and overall well-being.
Primary Appraisal: Evaluation of whether a demand is stressful and, if it is, the implications of the stressor in terms of personal goals and well-being.
The transactional theory of stress deals with
- motion-focused behavior coping.
- primary and secondary appraisal of stress.
- Type A behavior.
- instrumental support.
- presenteeism.
The transactional theory of stress explains how stressors are perceived and appraised (primary appraisal), as well as how people respond to the perceptions (secondary appraisal).
Secondary Appraisal: When people determine how to cope with the various stressors they face.
Family time demands include participation in formal education programs, music lessons, sports-related training, hobby-related self-education, participation in local government, and volunteer work.
Family time demands refer to the time that a person commits to participate in an array of family activities and responsibilities. Specific examples of family time demands include time spent involved in family pursuits such as traveling, attending social events and organized activities, hosting parties, and planning and making home improvements.
Family Time Demands: The amount of time committed to fulfilling family responsibilities.
Work-family conflict is an example of work hindrance stressor.
Nonwork hindrance stressors include work-family conflict, a special form of role conflict in which the demands of a work role hinder the fulfillment of the demands of a family role (or vice versa).
Work-Family Conflict: A form of role conflict in which the demands of a work role hinder the fulfillment of the demands in a family role (or vice versa).
Family time demands are what type of stressor?
- nonwork challenge stressor
- nonwork hindrance stressor
- work challenge stressor
- work hindrance stressor
- emotional stressor
Family time demands represent a nonwork challenge stressor that reflects the time that a person commits to participate in an array of family activities and responsibilities.
Challenge Stressors: Stressors that tend to be appraised as opportunities for growth and achievement.
According to research, which of the following is considered the most stressful life event?
- divorce
- jail term
- pregnancy
- death of a spouse
- change in occupation
The death of a spouse is the most stressful life event.
Stress: The psychological response to demands when there is something at stake for the individual, and where coping with these demands would tax or exceed the individual’s capacity or resources.
Work-family conflict is a type of ________ stressor.
- nonwork hindrance
- primary work challenge
- nonwork challenge
- work hindrance
- job enrichment
One example of nonwork hindrance stressors is work-family conflict, a special form of role conflict in which the demands of a work role hinder the fulfillment of the demands of a family role (or vice versa).
Work-Family Conflict: A form of role conflict in which the demands of a work role hinder the fulfillment of the demands in a family role (or vice versa).