100
OB ON THE EDGE
What Is Stress?
Stress is usually defined in terms of a
situation that creates excessive psy-
chological or physiological demands
on a person. Thus the situation, often
referred to as the stressor, and the
response togethercreate the stress that
an individual experiences. This dis-
tinction is important because what
is stressful to one person may be
enjoyable or at least viewed as neu-
tral by another. Although almost any-
one might feel stress if followed by
a stranger in a dark alley, not every-
one feels stressed when given the
opportunity for public speaking.
Dr. Hans Selye, a Montreal-based
researcher, pioneered the study of
stress and its effects. His model, the
general adaptation syndrome (GAS),
suggests that stress occurs in three
stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaus-
tion.^14 The alarm stage occurs when
the body tries to meet the initial chal-
lenge of the stressor. The brain reacts
by sending a message to the rest of
the body’s systems, causing such
symptoms as increased respiration,
raised blood pressure, dilated pupils,
and tensed muscles.
The resistance stage occurs if the
stressor continues. At this stage, a per-
son feels such symptoms as fatigue,
anxiety, and tension due to the body’s
attempt to fight the stressor. The
exhaustion stage occurs from pro-
longed and continual exposure to the
same stressor. The important thing
to remember about how GAS works
is that it puts heavy demands on the
body. The more that GAS is activated
and the longer that it goes on, the
more wear and tear your body expe-riences. Individuals who frequently
go through alarm, resistance, and
exhaustion cycles are more likely to
be susceptible to fatigue, disease,
aging, and other negative physical
and psychological consequences.
Stress is not necessarily bad in and
of itself. It is typically discussed in a
negative context, but it also has a
positive value. Consider, for exam-
ple, athletes or stage performers who
use stress positively to rise to the
occasion and perform at or near their
maximum potential. On the other
hand, students who put off studying
for exams until the last moment and
then develop the flu are not able to
use their stress to perform at a max-
imum level.Causes of Stress
A variety of sources of stress have been
identified, including “work overload;
role conflict; ineffective, hostile and
incompetent bosses; lack of personal
fit with a job; lack of recognition; lack
of a clear job description or chain of
command; fear, uncertainty, and
doubt about career progress; and prej-
udice based on age, gender, ethnicity
or religion.”^15 In their research on
stress, Professors Duxbury and
Higgins found that more than 50 per-
cent of employees feel they will not
advance unless they put in long hours,
and that turning down extra work is
unacceptable.^16 They also found that
although only 10 percent of employ-
ees worked 50 or more hours a week
in 1991, 25 percent were working
those hours in 2001.^17
A variety of changes in the work-
place have resulted in additional
causes of stress. We identify some of
these key changes below:^18- Competition and change.With
globalization has come increas-
ing pressure to compete and
innovate, which has led to an
increase in re-engineering and
How do jobs rate in terms of stress? The following shows how selected occu-
pations ranked in an evaluation of 250 jobs. Criteria used in the rankings
included overtime, quotas, deadlines, competitiveness, physical demands, envi-
ronmental conditions, hazards encountered, initiative required, stamina required,
win-lose situations, and working in the public eye.
Rank Stress Rank Stress
Score Score Score Score- US president 176.6 47. Auto salesperson 56.3
- Firefighter 110.9 50. College professor 54.2
- Senior executive 108.6 60. School principal 51.7
- Surgeon 99.5 103. Market research analyst 42.1
- Air traffic controller 83.1 104. Personnel recruiter 41.8
- Public relations executive 78.5 113. Hospital administrator 39.6
- Advertising account executive 74.6 119. Economist 38.7
- Real estate agent 73.1 122. Mechanical engineer 38.3
- Stockbroker 71.7 124. Chiropractor 37.9
- Pilot 68.7 132. Technical writer 36.5
- Architect 66.9 149. Retail salesperson 34.9
- Lawyer 64.3 173. Accountant 31.1
- General physician 64.0 193. Purchasing agent 28.9
- Insurance agent 63.3 229. Broadcast technician 24.2
- Advertising salesperson 59.9 245. Actuary 20.2
Source:Reprinted by permission of theWall Street Journal,© 1996 Dow Jones & Company.
All rights reserved worldwide.The Most Stressful Jobs