Stress

Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand or unexpected event in the environment that requires an adjustment. Quick and Quick, 1982, “Stress is an adaptive response to a situation that is perceived as challenging or threatening to the person’s well-being.”

Stressor: The causes of stress

A stressor is an unavailable part of life. The three main causes can be broadly grouped into 3 categories:

• Environmental Factors
• Organizational Factors
• Individual Factors

1. Environmental Factors

Environmental stressors include social, technological, political change, economic and financial condition, race and class, residential or community conditions. It also includes infections, physical trauma, malnutrition, and fatigue. It’s types are:

1. Economic factors
2. Political factors
3. Technological
4. Terrorism

2. Organizational Factors

Work is the most stressful part of our lives. Complications may come from job-insecurity, loss of a close friend lack of motivation, or from different pressures related to work. It’s types are:

1. Task demand
2. Physical demand
3. Role demand
4. Interpersonal demand
5. Organizational structure
6. Organizational cycles
7. Individual cycles

3. Individual Factors

It results not only from job-related forces but also from individual factors like; family, and social relations, an economic problem associated with self acculturative stress and inherent personality characteristics. Types are as follows:

1. Family unit
2. Financial resources
3. Acculturative
4. Genetic factor

Consequences of Stress

Due to it, an individual’s ability to think, feel and acts are affected. The consequences are as follows:

• Physiological consequences
• Psychological consequences
• Organizational consequences
• Behavioral consequences

A. Physiological consequences

It can have a negative influence on health. This negative influence can be seen if an individual can interpret the bodily symptoms of stress. Some symptoms can be readily recognized, while others are vague. The physiological changes in different bodily functions seen are:

• Heart disease
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Diabetes
• Hypertensions
• Asthma
• Cancer, etc

2. Psychological consequences 

These are stress related to problems that affect a person’s mental health and well being. If the situations are not regular, up and downs are existing and the job provides no variety, significance following symptoms occur and they are :

• Sleep disturbance
• Sexual and reproductive dysfunctions
• Memory, concentration, and learning decisions
• Emotion related problems

3. Organizational consequences

Stress can have even more direct consequences for organizations and it’s employees which include poor job performances, withdrawal, negative changes in attitudes and job burn out as well. It hampers on:

• Performances
• Withdrawal
• Attitudes
• Job burn out, etc

4. Behavioral consequences

Normal people under stress show unusual and behave differently than in normal situations. It can also have adverse effects on eating habits and causes weight fluctuations as well as other disorders like absenteeism, employs turnover aggressiveness, etc.

You may also like Human Personality